Towing Mirrors legal requirements

[mark_374349306]

Could any one help, someone has told me that i must have additional mirrors to move my caravan legally, is this true.

Thanks

Mark

 

[JeremyClarksson]

I am sure someone will be able to provide a correct reference but I believe you have to have mirrors extended beyond the width of the van, so if your existing mirrors already do this do not think you need additional mirrors.

 

[Lutz]

It depends how wide your car or how narrow your caravan is. If you can see both rear corners of the caravan using the normal outside rear view mirrors, you don't need special towing mirrors. Otherwise, yes, you do need them.

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Just found this on here

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/features/caravanlaw2.html
TOWING MIRRORS

The law on towing mirrors is a little hazy. The law requires the driver to have an "adequate" view to the rear and down the sides of the caravan, but does not define "adequate". So do you need extension mirrors or not? Not if your towing vehicle's mirrors are large enough and can be adjusted to see down past the sides of the caravan. But most cars will need extension mirrors to satisfy the law.

If you do fit extension mirrors, remember that it is an offence if they project more than 200mm from the side of the vehicle or trailer, whichever is the wider. This means that when driving solo, they must not project more than 200mm from the edge of the towcar - hence most will need to be removed after pitching if you are going to take the car off the site.

 

[Steve L]

HI Mark.

As I understand the law, you are legally required to have an extended mirror fitted to the right side of the vehicle in the UK. There is no stipulation for the left side.

However I use mirrors on both sides on my Laguna. I believe you can't have too much of a good view of the rear of your vehicle, especially in this day and age of over taking and under taking couldn't give a toss, egotistical idiots we get on the roads.

Another benifit of having both mirrors on is that they represent the width of your caravan. So if the mirrors go through the gap in front of you then it is resonable to assume the van will fit. Also the mirrors act as a width guide to vehicles coming towards you.

Steve L

 

[nigel_374240528]

Towing Mirrors - The Law

The Law in the United Kingdom specifies, you must be able to see clearly down both sides of the caravan, and see 5 meters either side of the caravan at a distance of 30 meters behind the rear of the caravan.

This in reality means, if your caravan/trailer is wider than the rear of your tow vehicle, you must fit towing mirrors to comply with the law. You can be fined up to

 

[Dustydog]

Towing Mirrors - The Law

The Law in the United Kingdom specifies, you must be able to see clearly down both sides of the caravan, and see 5 meters either side of the caravan at a distance of 30 meters behind the rear of the caravan.

This in reality means, if your caravan/trailer is wider than the rear of your tow vehicle, you must fit towing mirrors to comply with the law. You can be fined up to