I don’t have a problem with fitting towing mirrors. I do use them. My concern is that from what has been posted in this thread my mirrors extend too far and thus potentially break the law.
As for fitting smaller towing, mirrors I can’t find any that are less than 100mm wide, any more and I’m over the size limit.
So the “unambiguous” advice on the govt website is anything but.
Perhaps I’ll try asking Vosa, wish me luck on that one.

Jef

Maybe the following clarifies the 20cm rule..

"where the bottom edge of an exterior mirror is less than 2 metres above the road surface when the vehicle is laden, that mirror shall not project more than 20cm beyond the overall width of the vehicle or, if the vehicle is drawing a trailer which is wider than the drawing vehicle, more than 20cm beyond the overall width of the trailer"

from the department of transport document.. "Guidance Rear-view mirrors on motor vehicles Published 1 May 2010"

what is it in inches?

Extended mirrors can be a hazard. On my way to Scotland the other week I was on a sweeping left hand bend when I noticed the remains of an extended mirror on the road including what was left of the metal frame. A vehicle ran over it smashing the glass and a motorbike following nearly crashed trying to avoid it.

My Morris is the same width as the Puck. I have tried adding sucker extended mirrors but my daily mirrors are round which means the extended ones just spin down with gravity!

Hi Colin, thanks for the response. Re measuring, I took the info from the manufacturer's website as the stated max width. This is probably more accurate than I could do considering the rounded edges etc.

I will however look into (excuse the pun) getting some towing mirrors - the advantages extolled here seem to outweigh any possible drawbacks.

Cheers

Folks, I tend to look at safety like this:

If you fit wing mirrors and they're not needed what have you lost apart from £30 or so and five minutes to fit them?

As a minimum you get the advantages of:

* not being pulled by plod/DVSA because they deemed they were necessary
* no legalities if in an accident and its claimed you needed them and you contributed to the accident by not having them
* being there just in case you need them: having four mirrors is always better than just two mirrors
* having an additional way to check if you can get down a narrow lane (not seriously of course, but you get the jist) rather than finding out when damaging your £250+ factory-fitted car mirrors
* decreasing the probability of having an accident or an injury

I can't think of any real reasons not to fit them?

PS the comment about them being a hazard because someone left them on a road is nothing to do with the mirrors, it's to do with the poor standards of the driver that left them there