DFT proposal to allow wider car trailers !

[sheddy]

Basically a Govt propose to allow small trailers to go from 2.3m to 2.55m (to match Europe) forgetting that if you swiped a pedestriam or cyclist with a trailer in Europe it would automatically be your fault.
Details here. http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/2009-62/
Deadline for responses 16th Feb 2010.
This thread might be better placed in another section but I thought more people might see it here.

 

[Panter]

Excellent news

It means that UK caravan manufacturers would be able to compete with the wider German vans and that their use would be legal over here.

 

[Crankarm]

That's all we need................ more and bigger caravans on the roads .

 

[sunnyjim]

I suspect this rule has been widely ignored. I've regularly towed boat trailers up to 2.8m wide behind cars & land rovers for many years without problems*. I admit I didn't even know the limit was meant to be 2.3m -Somehow I thought that the UK allowed up to 10ft. Perhaps this was pre-1987?. Width itself isn't so important for general safety as how the trailer moves when going round corners.

The important thing is whether the trailer is towed with competence & courtesy - areas where many of the caravan owning fraternity unfortunately do not always shine.

* apart from once going through the Tyne tunnel- even then, the issue was a local tunnel restriction of 8ft, not constuction & use regs. I was eventually allowed to go through with my 8ft 6 ins = 2.44m load on promising to be carefull not to scratch their nice tunnel.

 

[ELL]

forgetting that if you swiped a pedestriam or cyclist with a trailer in Europe it would automatically be your fault.

I would of thought it would be the same here as well that if you hit someone with a trailer then its your fault

 

[Brains]

I had no idea of this restriction, like one of the posters above I have often towed boats wider than this, and I have also often towed Thames Cutters which are about 30' long, add 5' of frailer/towball and a long wheel base land rover and you are a good meter longer than an HGV. Not been pulled yet.

 

[Panter]

I think most people are unaware.

The big German Hobby caravans that people tow behind 4X4's are actually illegal.
For some reason the police don't seem to enforce it, but it will cause you problems with insurance if you have an accident whilst towing an illegal trailer.

 

[Panter]

I'm surprised that people can forget they're towing.
I've not had a bad overtake from a caravan, they tend to be over cautious (as am I when overtaking) IME but I've no idea what the accident stats are.

 

[mr Mag00]

that is interesting a few years a go i ripped the side off a caravan with my van it was way wider than the landy pulling it and he was driving in the middle of thh country lane to avoid scratching it. he had left the sales area less than half an hour before. we never heard the result of the payout, but the trees along the road were removed. it would be interesting to know the width of the caravan as he was driving it a narrow country lane to avoid the traffic lol.