Towing a trailer tips 

Driving a vehicle with a trailer in tow can be a little tricky. A trailer adds weight and length to your vehicle and, on top of that, a significant sway you won’t be used to. You also have some new road rules to consider when you’re towing a trailer. 

The legal speed limit for towing a trailer is 90km on the open road. The trailer must have a red back light in working condition if being towed at night. Depending on the weight of your trailer you may or may not be required to have working direct brakes. Also there must be no more than four metres between the vehicle and trailer. 

While there are some legal criteria you need to meet, there are some other safety tips that you should adhere to.

• Sway can send your vehicle out of control. Prevent this by loading the trailer effectively - heavy cargo at the front with a balance in the middle, and tie everything down nice and tight so it doesn’t move around too much. Never overload your trailer
• Test out the movement on your trailer by gradually increasing speed to see the effect. This helps you to gauge what kind of speed is safe and where you will start to get dangerous movement
• Ensure the towing connection is strong and safe before towing the trailer
• As you are heavier and less stable with a trailer in tow give yourself more time to stop. Increase your following distance to at least four seconds
• Make sure you can see behind the trailer with your rear vision mirrors - if you can’t you will need to have a special mirror attached for towing
• You will typically be going slower than other vehicles on the road - let other drivers pass by pulling over safely to the side
• When driving allow for extra time for overtaking, stopping and changing lanes. Also give yourself more room when parking and turning
• Watch the road carefully for things that may not affect your car but might put your trailer off balance; including potholes, speed bumps and judder bars. Hitting these at speed is potentially very dangerous
• Having dedicated trailer breaks is a good idea even if not legally required. This gives you more control over the trailer and can be useful in the event that the trailer does begin to sway out of control
• If the trailer is thrown off balance, you should apply the trailer breaks first, attempting to stop the movement of the trailer. Slow down gradually and steady the steering wheel gently. Never slam on your breaks