Just seen this warning from the government stating,

Caravan owners set for £1,000 fine and penalty points for not using special towing mirrors.

I use the extended caravan mirrors when towing but I have seen some that do not have extended mirrors fit. Morphy

As someone on CT said 'they wanted to know what was so special about these towing mirrors as they had standard towing mirrors'.

As it was an article on the Daily Express website I suggested they were fitted with blinkers.

Bad wording by the Express, it should've read 'special mirrors for towing'.

So is the government changing the law regarding extension towing mirrors?

According to the C&MC towing course I went on last year, there is no legal requirement to have towing mirrors, only a legal requirement to be able to see a certain area behind you.

Having said that, saloon and estate cars and small SUVs will be narrower than the average caravan and so will not meet the requirement of the law. Mid-sized vans and larger do.

Alan

I am strongly of the view that they do help you even when towing something as narrow as an Eriba.

It was proved to me one day when I set off to return to Clitheroe from Knaresborough C & M C site, and in my increasing forgetfulness (and obviously Kath's as well) I pulled out right onto the Knaresborough to Ripley and instinctively checked in both mirror extensions, neither of which were there...............I could see a tiny bit of road in the drivers mirror and grass verge in the other.

Fortunately as many of you will know there is a caravan size layby just down the road towards Ripley & rear vision was restored within a few minutes.I certainly wouldn't try to tow without them.

aging is a lovely process........

MikeT

Quote: SOULBLUESMAN68 wrote in post #5

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aging is a lovely process...

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If the towing vehicle is fractionally wider than the caravan are mirrors still required?

This picture shows the required field of vision. If you cannot see this with your ordinary mirrors, towing mirrors required.

Just to add, you can be breaking the law if you fit extending mirrors when you don't need them.

quote from

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...-motor-vehicles

"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"

I would be breaking the law if I attach my towing mirrors to tow my Puck.

Steve

Oooh, I’m going to have to get the tape measure out. Bill the Freelander is only 89 mm narrower* than Ben the 410. With a pair of Aero 2s on we might exceed that 20 cm. it’s going to be close.
I usually use just one towing mirror on the driver’s side, just to keep an eye on the idiots that tuck in behind. I can see the Eriba’s wheel arch flare on both sides in the normal mirrors.

•excluding mirrors

Jef

I'm going to do some checks but i Have a 2017 merc vito compact crew cab (great for bikes & leisure stuff) & tow a 2015 320 and as far as I'm concerned i don't think i need them but i will have to measure.
On line it says my vehicle including mirrors 2,249 wide but im still going to try & park up on the carpark & do measurements, so if i park up & measure 20 meters back from the drivers head and as long as i can see a width of 10 metres (eriba @ 2 meters wide + 4 meters at each side of the eriba) wide at that distance