Mirrors or Not
Hi , I have a Peugeot Boxer van and when towing the caravan it's only 2" wider than the van ... the mirrors have no issues seeing behind and the lower one gives a better view than the extending mirrors the tow shop flogged me which promptly fell off ! .
Does anyone know if I actually need to fit them please ? Thanks in anticipation ..
Comments
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Only you can tell. Extension mirrors are not a legal requirement but the need to see down both sides of the caravan and the road behind
is.0 -
I think you'll find you need mirrors regardless of what you think.
There is a legal requirement for mirrors
The law says when towing you must have a view to both sides of your caravan /trailer of 4 metres & must have a rear view of 20 metres behind you .
It's required you only attache towing mirrors to the towing vehicle when towing also .
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Does this help?
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If you stand at the back of the caravan and look straight down the side and can't see the mirrors on your van, you need mirror extensions.
Even if you can see (part) of the vans mirrors, you will be much safer (less of a hazard) to OTHER road users by of the improved view extensions will provide when fitted.
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You need to check where the mirrors are as against the width of the caravan. If they stick out further than the caravan then you are legal, if not mirrors are needed. Jills diagram is the legal position.
If you need mirtors I would look closely at the profile of the ones on the van to see how you would attach them. Some dealers will let you try them in their yard if it looks like a problem.
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No legal requirement for towing mirrors when towing.
The interior mirror can provide some/all of the legal requirement.
Towing mirrors fitted while not towing are legal if they do not exceed a certain distance beyond the widest part of the vehicle. [someone with more free time than me will be along shortly to look it up].
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Providing the field of vision is as per the blue area in Jill's diagram, that is all that matters in terms of the law. If that can be achieved using the vehicle's mirrors, there is no requirement for extension mirrors.
As the OP tows with a commercial vehicle it's very likely extension mirrors will not be necessary as mirrors fitted to commercials are generally far better and with a greater field of vision than those fitted to cars.
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No legal requirement for towing mirrors when towing.
The interior mirror can provide some/all of the legal requirement.
Towing mirrors fitted while not towing are legal if they do not exceed a certain distance beyond the widest part of the vehicle. [someone with more free time than me will be along shortly to look it up].
All I can see in mine is a big caravan.???
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No legal requirement for towing mirrors when towing.
The interior mirror can provide some/all of the legal requirement.
Towing mirrors fitted while not towing are legal if they do not exceed a certain distance beyond the widest part of the vehicle. [someone with more free time than me will be along shortly to look it up].
Write your comments here...http://www.broadlane.co.uk/caravans/help-advice/why-you-need-caravan-towing-mirrors
Hope this sheds a little more light on the matter.
The fine for towing BLIND can be up to £1000
The risk of not using caravan mirrors
If caught and prosecuted for ‘towing blind’ in the UK, i.e. without any caravan mirrors or using mirrors that are too narrow, you could receive three points on your licence and be fined up to £1,000 for each side
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"....prosecuted for ‘towing blind’ in the UK, i.e. without any caravan mirrors or using mirrors that are too narrow, you could receive three points on your licence and be fined up to £1,000 for each side"
I agree it's an offence not to have adequate vision, Compass, but what you have quoted is either/or and does not say that extension mirrors are a legal requirement. It's the field of vision which is mandatory, not the extension mirrors.
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"....prosecuted for ‘towing blind’ in the UK, i.e. without any caravan mirrors or using mirrors that are too narrow, you could receive three points on your licence and be fined up to £1,000 for each side"
I agree it's an offence not to have adequate vision, Compass, but what you have quoted is either/or and does not say that extension mirrors are a legal requirement. It's the field of vision which is mandatory, not the extension mirrors.
Write your comments here...yep sorry , hands up I got that one wrong , I suppose I always thought extension mirrors were law.
certainly for your own safety using mirrors is a no brainier , regardless to say spending a modest amount for these could in fact save a considerable fine if God forbid you were stopped for non compliance of the rear vision requirements
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"....prosecuted for ‘towing blind’ in the UK, i.e. without any caravan mirrors or using mirrors that are too narrow, you could receive three points on your licence and be fined up to £1,000 for each side"
I agree it's an offence not to have adequate vision, Compass, but what you have quoted is either/or and does not say that extension mirrors are a legal requirement. It's the field of vision which is mandatory, not the extension mirrors.
Write your comments here...yep sorry , hands up I got that one wrong , I suppose I always thought extension mirrors were law.
certainly for your own safety using mirrors is a no brainier , regardless to say spending a modest amount for these could in fact save a considerable fine if God forbid you were stopped for non compliance of the rear vision requirements
No problem, Compass, and I agree with your views but I think the OP towing with a Boxer might be the exception to the 'rule'. Only he/she can tell.
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Extract from the CC leaflet on towing mirrors:
THE LAW
A car towing a caravan, if first used on or after 1 June 1978 and before 26 January 2010
(ie the majority of cars in use now) must have:
a) at least one exterior mirror fitted on the offside of the vehicle: and
b) at least one interior mirror, unless a mirror so fitted would give the driver no view to the rear of the vehicle; and
c) at least one exterior mirror fitted on the nearside of the vehicle unless an interior mirror gives the driver an adequate view to the rear.In short there is a requirement to fit towing mirrors to both offside and nearside regardless of what type of vehicle unless there is adequate through vision (not often possible with a modern caravan)
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Exterior mirrors, not extension / towing mirrors.
The requirement is for exterior mirrors and the vehicle's own mirrors are exterior mirrors.
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I think we've said that, K.
The OP's problem was making them stay on the larger commercial vehicle mirrors. Hence the question whether he/ she really needed them.
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I doubt the op needs them unless his van is very wide. My van is 2.2 metres wide and I can see perfectly well through my Citroën multispace van thing without extension mirrors, it is borderline going off the chart posted earlier but very close
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I have yet to see a truck delivering caravans where towing mirrors had been added! Why? Because the legally required vision is obtained with standard manufacturers mirrors! Same with large vans, etc!
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every type of mirror I have tried over the last thirty years have been useless, shaky and with blind spots you could hide a bus in. Personally I consider e en if you cannot quite se the required angle car mirrors are safer, and if you move your head a
couple of inches forward you generally cover the required angle. Not that I advocate not using towing mirrors if your van is wide .0 -
If that angle of vision is achievable without towing mirrors you don't need them,
That is the concept that it seems impossible for some people to grasp. It is quite a bit frightening that it is seen to make towing "safe" by simply having towing mirrors fitted by those who don't see that they are not enhancing their vision.
There are those who might say that it does not matter since the driver does not look at the mirrors anyway!
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For the avoidance of doubt, a Boxer is 2mm under 2 Metres wide. With very few exceptions, there aren't any caravans under 2.2Metres and most are a whisker over that. The only vehicle I know, and even that is only just 2.2 Metres, is the Hummer. Come on,
own up. Who tows with one of those?0 -
every type of mirror I have tried over the last thirty years have been useless, shaky and with blind spots you could hide a bus in. Personally I consider e en if you cannot quite se the required angle car mirrors are safer, and if you move your head a
couple of inches forward you generally cover the required angle. Not that I advocate not using towing mirrors if your van is wide .Towing mirrors are a legal requirement on most outfits so shaky or not, blind spots or not they are cheaper than a fine and better than points on your licence.
I would admit mine shake a bit but they do increase my view and combined with the car mirrors I get far more rear view than without. I cannot see me ditching them law or no law.
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I overheard this in my local " Taxi Drivers always check their mirrors twice - once to see if theres anything there and another to see if they have smacked it" Amused me at the time.
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Bear in mind also that as soon as one deviates from a straight line the whole thing becomes a nonsense.
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