Are towing mirrors mandatory

Wolfie1

As the topic asks? I have a jag xe and there is cameras on the end of the wing mirrors once you create a trailer profile and then select trailer mode with a trailer on these cameras show right down the side of the caravan better on the infotainment screen than with mirrors attached but with the mirrors fitted the arm of the mirrors block the camera, so do i have to have them by law, or will the cameras suffice?

Cornersteady

An interesting question as to whether a screen would be legal. The law is quite specific. 

To be compliant with the law, anyone towing a caravan must be able to see 20 metres behind them and four metres either side of the towed outfit.

As shown in the pic. Would your camera show this and even if yes would it be legal in law? And would looking at the screen be better or as safe than using a mirror? Can a rear view camera when solo take the place of wing mirrors?

Remember that a caravan camera cannot be a replacement for the towing mirrors required by law, and the two should be used together for maximum effect and legal compliance

Like I said an interesting question. I would get legal advice.

commeyras

Corners has said it all and, as discussed recently, spot checks are carried out to see that we comply with the law when towing.  For the sake of a few pounds, nothing when compared to the price of a Jag XE, better to be safe than sorry. However, if you get legal advice please post the result for others to see.

EmilysDad

Can a rear view camera when solo take the place of wing mirrors?

If you look at a Honda e (all electric car) it would appear so. But I don't know about Wolfies question but would suspect that mirrors would be needed to see down the side of a reasonably sized caravan.

Cornersteady

Thanks, that is interesting I will have a look, so are there no mirrors at all (windscreen and door), or mirrors in the same places that are really cameras if you see what I mean?

EmilysDad

Without Googling I can't now think if it still has a standard rear view mirror  but it definitely has cameras in lieu of door mirrors.

Honda E

DSB

Hi Wolfie.  It may be worth ringing the Tecnical Helpline or Legal Helpline (numbers on the back of the membership card).  They may be able to give a definitive answer.

David

Edit: just spotted you might not be a CAMC member - it's not coming up on your profile, but you may have joined and it's not showing on your profile yet.  You would need your membership number when ringing.... 

Extugger

 

Good post 

 

IanTG

I’ve seen modern lorries wIth no mirrors, only cameras.

Extugger

 

The law states you must "have an adequate view of the road behind you" The parameters are set within the diagram posted by Corners, above.

So unless you can see clearly through your caravan to the road behind, you need towing mirrors.

I would still use extended mirrors in any case.

As for "electronic cameras, mirrors" etc I would see them as driving aides and not a replacement for ext. mirrors. Mr Plod is likely to take the same view and without further research, do these "aides" give the necessary field of vision, required by law?

 

Wolfie1

Thanks all, the cameras are on the wing mirrors and do what towing mirrors do but only better and yes i can see in the cameras the illustration above, the central rear view mirror is not what i mean, hope that makes more sense

EmilysDad

I understand where the cameras are but it still leaves the question of whether you can see far enough behind you with them or whether you need extended mirrors.

Wolfie1

So i got my other half to take a pic of the screen that displays the camera images, i was going round a very gradual bend that can be seen at the time

 

Vulcan

You cannot see the rear corners of the van as per the illustration so you need towing mirrors.

BrianJames

Legal and sensible are two different things. 

Even if you can legally see everything with the cars basic fittings I would still suggest fitting towing extension mirrors for one really big reason. The police are more likely to stop a car towing a caravan if the car does not have the extension mirrors. And that creates an opening for anything else to be looked at too.

Plus you can then adjust your cars mirrors to see other things not covered normally and have an even safer rear view.

Navigateur

Let's consider a slightly bigger picture (no pun intended).  Would towing cameras replacing towing mirrors be adequate?  And if so would that be the case on a vehicle that did not have factory fitted cameras to begin with?

I hope the cameras producing the image illustrated above are just badly adjusted as they could not be used to show by how much the caravan was missing objects when passing through a narrow space.

obbernockle

A typical caravan (say Swift) is 2230 mm wide, and the Jaguar XE is 2075mm wide including mirrors. This makes rear vision, using integral camera lenses or the mirrors, legally impossible.

By the way, had it been a Range Rover at 2209mm wide across the mirrors, it would still be impossible. I don't know of any UK passenger cars wide enough.

 

cyberyacht

Unless you tow a micro caravan with a Hummer, then yes, plus they also act like cat's whiskers - if the mirror fir, so does the van. 

Getting on to cameras as replacements, they would equally need to be on stalks( perhaps adjustable to suit width of outfit). Downside would be that clouting one would be even more expensive than towing mirrors.