25/09/2024
TOWING MIRRORS, DO YOU REALLY NEED THEM? - Yes, or No?
Currently, you will see many drivers towing large caravans, horse floats, boats, and other large trailers without using additional towing mirrors.
We also watch television advertisements and see glossy sales brochure photos of vehicles advertised for their towing capacity towing large caravans on the roads and highways, that are not shown with the legally required towing mirrors fitted in many cases.
Towing mirrors, as such, are NOT legally required, HOWEVER, the visibility that they provide IS a legal requirement.
If the distance between the inside of your vehicle side mirrors is not wider than the widest part of your trailer or caravan, then you must use towing mirrors on the roads when towing. You must be able to see all the way down your caravan, horse float, boat or trailer to and including the rear corners.
The diagram by Robert Pepper – Automotive Journalist, clearly shows the legally required field of vision from the driver’s seat when towing a caravan or any large trailer.
Field of vision from the driver’s seat without extra towing mirrors is shown on the driver’s side or top side. The area in red is the blind spot caused by the wider trailer. The passenger or lower side shows the visibility with the correct extra wide or towing mirrors fitted. The legal requirement is to be able to see ALL areas in green from the driver's seat.
The top section shows without extra towing mirrors and clearly shows the red blind spot. From the driver’s seat, the driver’s field of vision, via the standard vehicle mirrors is blocked when the caravan is wider than the inside measurement of the mirrors used. This blocked vision / blind spot is shown in red and can hide a car, motorbike or cyclist or other vehicle overtaking.
The bottom section shows the extra field of vision in green, offered by having wider towing mirrors fitted, and no blind spot created by the wider caravan under tow.
It is a legal requirement in all states and territories in Australia to have the field of vision as shown in the bottom section, in green, which extends to 4 meters wide at 20 meters from the driver’s position.
You may still fit a camera to the rear of your caravan for extra rear vision when reversing. However, it DOES NOT replace your legal responsibility to have the visibility required down the sides of your trailer as in the above diagram.
Queensland and other state laws DO NOT CURRENTLY ALLOW CAMERAS as a replacement for ‘by reflection’ mirrors fitted to light vehicles towing large caravans and other trailers.
Always use your mirrors when driving on the highways to help ensure you can see who is beside or behind you and may be ready to overtake or already in the process of overtaking.
Remember to remove any wide mirrors or slide adjustable wide mirrors in when not towing.
With ALL mirrors there will be a blind spot so always do a head check before turning or overtaking.
Good mirrors are also invaluable when reversing into a tight caravan park site.
KEN’S TIP No1 : - I use the Clearview Next Gen mirrors as a permanent replacement for the standard Ford Ranger side mirrors. They are extendable for when towing and have a split two-part mirror. I have the bottom smaller mirror set to show me the caravan tyres to give vision of the tyres on the road, and when parking close beside a concrete slab, gutters or other locations.
When ordering you can often also get an electric fold wiring harness if your vehicle does not already have electric fold mirrors as standard. This gives you the opportunity to fold the mirrors electrically in, to access tight parking or help avoid damage from people at shopping centers etc.
I prefer them in black to help reduce glare.
KEN’S TIP No 2 : - When reversing into a tight caravan site, we often need to reverse from the right-hand side. With the slab on the left of the site, the mirrors do not usually allow visibility of the slab to reverse beside.
I use an Oricom WRC001 Wireless Reversing Camera that can be placed anywhere. It has a magnetic base to be mounted anywhere temporarily. By placing it on the slab showing the side you want to line your wheels up with, it makes reversing so much easier. The camera shows via an App on your phone and can be placed anywhere in range.
A standard caravan reversing camera only shows the rear of the caravan, not the slab side.
It is also useful when off roading and you need visibility of your tyres etc when going through rocky ground. Simply mount it on your driver or passenger door so you can see where the wheels are at any time. Mount it on a rock or tree branch to see an outside view of your vehicle when you need to monitor low overhangs or diff clearances etc.
This portable camera is available from the Oricom web site. If you use discount code TF15 you will receive 15% discount of normal prices on the Oricom web site.
https://oricom.com.au/product/wrc001-ipx6-wireless-reversing-camera-with-magnetic-base/
These and much more helpful caravan and horse float towing tips are available in my new book SAFE CARAVAN TOWING – THE MANUAL available from the Truck Friendly caravan road safety program web site.
https://www.truckfriendly.com.au/safe-caravan-towing-the-manual/
Above all – stay safe.
Cheers
Ken Wilson
Truck Friendly caravan road safety program
[email protected]
Ph 0429944663
The Truck Friendly program offers general caravan safety tips so that we all get home safely.
