Safe Speed Forums

To my astonishment, this was reported on the South Wales Evening Post.

Since 1977, you need to take a special test in order to pull any sort of trailer. That means caravans, trailers, horse boxes, pretty much anything attached to a towbar. According to the article, failure to do this is an offence to which 95% of people are either unaware or knowingly commit.

I surveyed a few of my friends and family 2 of which are police officers and they hadn't heard of this requirement.

I had a tow bar fitted to my car last year for towing an 8x4 trailer and no mention was made by the fitters that I would be potentially driving illegally if I did not take the test.

How many of you knew about this and if it is true as this does not seem very well publicised.

Just found the relevant section in the dvla website (not easy to find)

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dl_towing_trailers.htm

It looks like the local paper got the date wrong, it's 1997 not 1977. Still never heard of it before though. Apparently, the police in south wales are having a crack-down on it...

Not entirely correct.

It's only for trailers over a certain weight and it's since 1997 (typo?)

See the DVLA website.

EFB

Since 1st Jan 1997 you need a cat E extension to tow trailers over 750 kg MAM as a rule of thumb, although you can tow a trailer up to the kerb weight of the towing vehicle so long as the train weight doesn't exceed 3500kg MAM. This was brought at the same time as the new weight restriction on a cat B licence of 3500kg MAM.

However, this ONLY applies to people who sat their driving test AFTER 1st Jan 1997, so anyone with the older style cat B licence can still drive up to 7500kg MAM and tow any trailer. (so long as it doesn't exceed the towing weight of the vehicle pulling it.)

Personally though, I think its a bloody good idea to have some extra training for towing. Since I hold a new style cat B licence, I've been reading up on the rules and regs for towing so I can sit my trailer test. The number of people I see towing who don't seem to know the restrictions placed on their vehicles is astonishing, for example the bloke I followed to Southampton on Saturday who was towing in L3 of the motorway. Chances are that he was never actually taught about the restrictions when he took his driving test. Maybe it'd be a good idea to supply with every new trailer or towbar a leaflet outlining the restrictions and specific laws that relate to towing?

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I have written to the paper concerned as they seem to have published a wholly misleading and inaccurate article.

Cheers.

Now with a bloke having a good old name like "IFOR WILLIAMS" producing trailors, you'd think that the welsh police would see it as a way to make even more money from the english.
Unless its a case of cracking down on those not sing Ifors trailors, then by bach, thats all right.

But don't forget - to tow a trailor you need to be blind to all behind you/ deaf to the sounds from behind - schreeches/hornblowing etc - can see how you'd need special licence.Oh and don't forget you cant exceed 20 mph

If you have a photo license it is shown on the back

I passed my test in 1977......Means I can just about anything less than a truck....

Ah the good old days

Thats grandad rights for you.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Without going and looking, I think I am allowed to drive anything except an invalid carriage, or a tracklaying vehicle steered by it's tracks!! Unless it's a Scimitar light tank, I'm not likely to make a quick getaway in any of those anyhow!

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Same here for me Gizmo, passed both car & bike test within 30 days of my 17th birthday back in 82.
You know something else??? I still remember both of those tests with incredible clarity as well (can't remember much else from the remainder of my teenage years though as I was either drunk, drugged, or both )

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

But it's not the actual weight of the trailer that's important.

It's the maximum authorised mass (i.e. the maximum possible laden weight of the trailer - not what the trailer is actually carrying) that matters.

Ernest - giving your age away - mine (i think) says something similar - trouble is i have problems turning over the stones to read the print.

I realised my age when a girl at a rental car counter took the tatty piece or paper which was my license and announced that it was older than she was..........

I have got a photo card now....

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Speed camera policy Kills

I had a rude (although financially pleasant) awakening to my age 2 days ago when Norwich Union quoted me £287 fully comp in a V (2000) reg fully loaded Mondeo 2 Litre Zetec, and my renewal quote from Carol Nash was £93 fully comp for a Nitrous powered Z900.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

I can beat that at 33

I have a Ford Escort TDDi, which costs me £250 a year for FULL business use. I also have a GT750, which costs me £65 a year again for FULL business use.

On top of that we have a motability car... costs nothing to insure

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“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Photo cards - when dvla give me one for free-
Still liked the old book style - first it was renew yearly then every three years - didn't fall to pieces like the later ones.
Thats when we show our age

Apparently, you know you've reached old age when you go from wishing you had less grey hair to wishing you had more grey hair.

...or so I'm told

Cheers
Peter

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Only when ideology, prejudice and dogma are set aside does the truth emerge - Kepler

Christ, am I the youngest one in here?!?! Gixxer, I was 1 when you passed your tests....

I have to admit that having the photocard licence is kinda useful - no tatty old bit of paper to get ruined, and nice pretty pictures of the classes of vehicle you can drive, for those really SPECIAL people ...It does prove a rather useful piece of ID though...

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

That's a good price Paul, but I doubt your GT750 is worth anywhere near what my (heavily modded) Z9 is, and it certainly doesn't have EVERYBODY stopping for a look


You've missed out on a lot & are a mere 'pup' Sixy

You have no idea what it is like to ride a moped that will hit 70mph.
You have no idea what it was like to get on a KH250 with L plates after getting off aforementioned moped at 17.
You had to act like a performing circus seal in order to ride anything that develops more BHP than the starter motor on a four pot
You think that the old bill have always sat on the A24 at the 'Box' on a Sunday afternoon.
You've probably never partaken in the 'tea run' from Chelsea Bridge to Heston services.
You have no idea what the Clarendon is.

etc, etc, etc

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Have heard people having problems - hiring a car is one i've heard about - the old paper licence is good enough ,but you need both bits with the new one.

I went to hire a van a while back (in this country) and I forgot the paper bit. They can phone DVAL for a fee (about £2 when it happened to me) and check so long as you have the photo part. Whether or not they will is another question

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.