Drivers and employers need to ensure that they take safety seriously when towing trailers, says Dr Karen McDonnell, Head of Global Relations at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
Cast your mind back to 2021, when the B+E test required for car drivers to tow a trailer was removed. Since then, drivers have been enabled to tow trailer without taking an additional test. Take a moment to pause and consider the last time you towed a trailer, caravan or horsebox, and perhaps how long it had been sitting in your driveway, yard or in storage unused.
Did you undertake pre-operational checks, including tow ball and connection, breakaway cable, wheels and tyres, lights and indicators? Trailers also need to be loaded safely. Do you know the weight limit and the weight your vehicle can tow?
These checks and journey planning underpin a safe way forward… but what about you, the driver? Towing safely and legally on our roads contributes towards a reduction in crashes, unnecessary delays and callouts for emergency services, and drivers can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving, and get three penalty points for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Safe and healthy drivers are at the heart of getting road safety right, whether as individuals or within their daily work activities. Having the correct information, instruction, training and supervision keeps people safe. Reflecting on the removal of the B+E test, and in particular the driving skills required to successfully pass and tow in a safe manner, led to much discussion within the road safety community.
From these conversations there have been significant developments. The National Council for Accredited Trailer Training has emerged, providing the information, instruction and training for those towing a trailer with a category B motor vehicle.
Core to success is to ensure:
- That you as an individual or as an organisation comply with relevant legislation, which is essential for personal and organisational wellbeing
- That drivers understand their responsibilities when towing trailers, reducing the risk of accidents and damage to vehicles, ultimately leading to increased road safety
- That drivers learn to tow and handle trailers safely, developing competency and providing reassurance when using trailers for work or personal use
- That drivers understand the legal requirements related to trailer usage and are aware of their responsibilities and obligations
- That organisations put systems in place to manage the risk associated with towing, including maintenance
- That these systems support driver development, including the necessary skills for safe trailer operation, such as coupling and uncoupling, pre- and post-operation checks, maintenance and on-road driving.
So, is it time for you and your organisation to reset around towing safely?
RoSPA is working with the Department for Transport to promote, and raise awareness of, better standards in trailer towing. This includes liaising with over 800 organisations linked to the Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance to focus on vehicle loading and unloading within the wider context of workplace transport, which includes work vehicles on the roads, towards a reduction in people killed and seriously injured.
We have also developed and launched a Trailer Handling course suitable for people who wanted to fine-tune their skills or gain their first experience of trailer handling.
Where can businesses get information, resources and support?
This eBook will guide you through some of the key understandings you need to be able to manage driver safety effectively and, at the end, provide a series of free resources you can access to help you ensure your own driver safety management system is robust, legally compliant and in line with industry-accepted good practice.
Download this eBook from Driving for Better Business and SHP to cover:
- Why do we need to manage driver safety?
- Duty of care – a shared responsibility;
- Setting the rules with a driving for work policy;
- Managing driver safety;
- Ensuring safe vehicles;
- Safe journeys and fitness to drive;
- Record keeping;
- Reporting;
- The business benefits of good practice;
- Additional resources
Cast your mind back to 2021, when the B+E test required for car drivers to tow a trailer was removed. Since then, drivers have been enabled to tow trailer without taking an additional test. Take a moment to pause and consider the last time you towed a trailer, caravan or horsebox, and perhaps how long it had been sitting in your driveway, yard or in storage unused.