How to be a better tow car driver

[LizziePope]

Our tow car expert David Motton has blogged about tow car driving and how to tow in safety and with confidence. Sage advice for anyone, no matter how long you've been towing or how comfortable you are towing – a little reminder never hurts. See here and happy holidays!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Some really practical tips in that article. Perhaps some caravanners will take note of the article more so than the similar advice we have given on the forum.

 

[chrisbee1]

Pity the pictures are numbered 1 2 3 4 1. Must be the same proof reader from the "first look" article in the Jan PC mag. 😛 😛 😛

 

[Gafferbill]

.......I would also add to the Plan your Route section that a Satnav can be a real safety tool.

When driving a larger vehicle, it is a big advantage to know exactly where you are in relation to your destination and reduces any driver dithering in potentially dangerous situations.
It is now easy to pre drive the awkward and unfamiliar stages of a journey on your computer and familiarise yourself with the entrance to any campsite without ever having been there.
A good idea is to obtain the coordinates of the entrance from Google maps and put that in your Satnav favourites.
This then becomes the point that your Satnav will guide you to.
You can pre check your Satnav route for suitability in the comfort of your home at your computer before you set off and make any changes needed.

Yes Satnavs can lead you into trouble with a larger vehicle but not if you pre check the loaded route before making the journey.

 

[RogerL]

Blindly following a satnav quickly gets you into trouble - so does using an ordinary car satnav if towing..

Google maps aren't that accurate !!!

 

[Dustydog]

There's some talk that the DVLA are changing the curent driving test to include finding your way using a sat nav 😱hmy: 😱hmy: :lol:

 

[JonnyG]

Blindly following a satnav quickly gets you into trouble - so does using an ordinary car satnav if towing..

Google maps aren't that accurate !!!

hi roger. what do you suggest instead? i mean I've never "quickly gotten in to trouble" using my sat navs but then i buy decent ones and whilst i have sat in traffic at times,usually been able to avoid most of them using my sat nav,, of course their not perfect, but neither where map books when i only used them and frankly there is no 1 map book that can do as good a job on a day to day basis,in fact not even a 100 maps could do the same job as a decent sat nav.

 

[RogerL]

There are far too many instances of drivers following satnav and NOT noticing signs, like width restriction or length restriction.

There is an issue that ordinary satnavs, ie excluding those for trucks or caravans, can and do route drivers down 6'6" wide roads. Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps (1.25"/mile) do show narrow roads and most road atlas's exclude them.

Satnavs are very good at knowing exactly where you are, to within 8m but the rest is down to the age and accuracy of the inbuilt map - those who are anoraks and specialise in roads/maps are constantly informing GPS mapping companies of the errors but not all get corrected. Google maps certainly isn't one of the best for accuracy - but it is common and quite user friendly!

HA road direction signs are generally very good, not necessarily the most direct route but almost always the quickest if no congestion.

Satnavs are a good aid, not to be dismissed but never relied on implicitly.

 

[SteveW77]

There are far too many instances of drivers following satnav and NOT noticing signs, like width restriction or length restriction.

There is an issue that ordinary satnavs, ie excluding those for trucks or caravans, can and do route drivers down 6'6" wide roads. Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps (1.25"/mile) do show narrow roads and most road atlas's exclude them.

Satnavs are very good at knowing exactly where you are, to within 8m but the rest is down to the age and accuracy of the inbuilt map - those who are anoraks and specialise in roads/maps are constantly informing GPS mapping companies of the errors but not all get corrected. Google maps certainly isn't one of the best for accuracy - but it is common and quite user friendly!

HA road direction signs are generally very good, not necessarily the most direct route but almost always the quickest if no congestion.

Satnavs are a good aid, not to be dismissed but never relied on implicitly.

The fact that people drive along roads that are not appropriate for their vehicle, shows that the problem is with them, not the sat-nav.

 

[DeliDave_]

Dont know about other people but I'm looking for any signs more carefully with van than solo,good tip imho

 

[Raywood]

Think you need to add that a trailer will cut in on corners and to start with you need to take the sharper ones wide and watch the inside wheel in the mirror to establish just what leeway you need. As you build up confidence it will become second nature but you still need to do this in some tight spots.

 

[Gozza]

Blindly following a satnav can quickly get you into trouble, but no more so than blindly following a map, or blindly following the directions of your navigator (especially if, like Mrs Gozza, they have a tendency to say "Turn left here...turn left here...oh, I meant turn right").

A driver following a satnav is certainly distracted from the road compared to a driver who knows where they're going, if only to a small extent, but that's not a fair comparison. We need to compare the relative distraction of a driver following a satnav compared to whatever other navigation method they would have used: On that comparison, for me, satnav is currently the best there is.