Breakaway Cable Attachment in Holland
I don't know why...but it appears the various Vehicle Inspection agencies throughout Europe have a delight in pulling me over to inspect my outfit. I mean its not as if we have old vehicles, or exceed the speed limits of the country. The tow car is 1yr old and the caravan is just 6 mnths old.
The latest such inspection was on Saturday around 3-0pm on the A15 just 5 miles short of the Rotterdam Europort ferry terminal (We were scheduled on the overnight ferry to Hull)...when out of nowhere appeared a police motorcycle, waived and pointed to his 'Follow Me' sign...which i duly did following him off the next junction, around a couple of roundabouts to a vehicle inspection station...full of Caravans and Motorhomes.
First up was the request for driving licence, V5 for both car and caravan. No problem, even accepting the electronic version on the OH iPhone. (although one Police Officer wasn't convinced but let it pass) Note to self, take copies of V5's...Next was to move onto weighing pads, both car and caravan, checked against plates...No problem, Phew !!!...then asked to pull into next bay where the car and caravan where given a roadworthy test, you name it they looked at it. No problem , passed with flying colours..as being new vehicles, should have.
But then wait...hold the phone, one of the inspectors pointed to the breakaway cable....At this point I will refer you to my previous post and encounter with the UK equivalent inspectors when i was issued a prohibition notice for incorrect attachment..later squashed when the the club intervened...It was at that point that I also changed to the direct attachment ALKO specific cable. This is what I had in place when inspected..a direct attachment to a designated fixing point.
Not good said the inspector....must be looped trough a karabiner...which he produced, fitted and charged me 4€...followed by a police officer issuing me with a ticket (to be sent) for incorrect attachment of breakaway cable...Some one on the ferry said the fine could be 130€. The ticket has yet to arrive so I cannot post a photo but I attach a photo of the karabiner the inspector fitted....
Happy caravanning ...
Comments
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I assume your breakaway cable on the caravan is not of the carabiner type? Your van is pretty new and I thought all 2018 models had this attachment?
David
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David, Yes it was...and the even more substantial Alko part.... which I am told is made for direct attachment to a dedicated fixing point which I had done. The inspector simply unhooked my karibiner from the fixing point and replaced with another....then looped my cable through that karibiner. He just wouldn’t accept a direct attachment. See photo.
I think I need to contact the technical dept and have a chat.
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I could understand if it was the sacrificial clip type but as you say the carabiner is strong enough to pull on the handbrake if the caravan detached from the car. If you do get a fine it might be worth contacting AlKo for their view on this as it does seem the Dutch are making it up as they go along!!! I assume they would have been happy if you had,had a large enough eye to put the cable through and clip back on itself, hence the supply of the extra carabiner?
David
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The whole thing seems a bit crazy. Last year I replaced mine with the carabiner type. Previously I had wrongly been using the clip type for direct attachment. As far as I am aware it is the caravan end that fails after pulling the brake on, not the car end. I seriously doubt a directly attached clip type would not be strong enough to do this, certainly the carabiner type would.
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The Dutch are not the only ones...you may remember I posted on a similar inspection a couple of years ago when I was issued with a Prohibition order (at a service station) by the DVSA here in the UK. That issue was taken up by this club tech department and subsequently an apology was received and all my data was removed from DVSA computer. They sited an 'over zealous' inspector who would be offered 're training'...
As you say David, I think there is a misunderstanding by inspectors between the 'sacrificial' and 'non sacrificial' cables... I will certainly contact Alko, and this clubs tech dept for advice.
Aside..I think what is needed is an Euopean Directive to clarify this issue throughout the EU....I shall submit my findings and a request for such a Directive to my unelected representative in Brussels ....if i can find out who he/she is !!!
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Steve, Check out this link to Alko for specific cable designed for direct attachment...
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MM....To clarify, originally I was (am)using the Alko breakaway cable with clip..... part no SKU 1220984 (see Alko link above).
This was directly attached to the dedicated fixing point on the tow bar. (not looped as required by the 'sacrificial' type of cable.) The inspector would not accept my argument regarding the difference between breakaway cables and insisted any cable needs to be looped, not around the tow ball...but through a Karabiner fitted to the dedicated fixing point.. (The one he fitted in the photo)
In fairness to the gentleman, who was very courteous and understanding , his English was about as good as my Dutch so we were batting from a very difficult wicket..
I can see this ending up in the ECJ..
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That's the type I have now fitted GTP and as far as I can see you have totally complied.
The point I was making is, that if my understanding is correct, it is not this end that fails after the brake is pulled on but the caravan end. Personally I think even the old clip, directly attached rather than looped would do the job. Although accept that is not what it is designed for.
Why when there is a good quality carabiner on the end of the cable the officer thinks it is a good idea to introduce yet another linkage is beyond me.
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so, if there is no attachment point is looping the cable around a detachable tow ball legal or even advisable?
UK touring here
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Exactly..which is why I use the Alko cable specifically designed for direct attachment...but as i said earlier, the inspector wasn't having any of it...
lesson here is....if you intend to tow in Holland, buy a karabiner and fit to fixing point (as in photo above) and loop your breakaway cable through that. No matter what , never , ever...loop around tow ball, in Holland that is...
I'm off to France shortly for 6 weeks...I will use the above method and see if i have any problems with the French...
happy caravanning
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Below is the advice that the club received and passed on to members some years ago. Perhaps time for the club to contact the Dutch authorities again.
From: Hazel Havell <Hazel. Havell@caravanclub. co. uk>
To: . ........
Sent: Wednesday, 3 April 2013, 10:25
Subject: RE: Netherlands Break Away Cable
Hello Mr . .......
Thank you very much for your recent enquiry. I contacted the ANWB back in 2007 regarding this issue, below is a copy of my “conversation”:
My name is Hazel Havell and I am the Travel Service Information Officer
at the Caravan Club, I was passed your e-mail address from Sebastien
Brilli. Please would it possible for you to confirm whether it is
illegal in Holland for a person to wrap a brake cable around a tow ball?
And am I correct that if they are stopped by the Police and the
brake-away cable is not clipped to a fixed point on the tow bar they can
incur an on the spot fine of 30 Euros?
Clarification on this would really be appreciated
Hazel Havell
Hello Hazel
Yes, it is illegal in Holland to wrap the brake cable around the tow
ball. The fine is EUR 130,- instead of EUR 30.
Maarten Dorpema
Hello Maarten,
Sorry to bother you again but this answer has raised even more questions! Is the non-compliance of this law applicable to cars and caravans that are registered in the U. K? Here in the U. K it is not illegal to loop the break cable around the tow bar, in fact some manufactures recommend this option, we have a member who has a BMW with a swan neck tow bar that does not have a designated attachment point so his only option is to wrap it around the neck of the tow ball. If he were stopped by the police would he be fined? Once he has paid this fine can he continue on his way and if he is stopped 1 week later can he be fined again?
Hazel
Dear Hazel,
The rule concerning the break cable is part of the legislation concerning the equipment and requirements of cars and trailors. This legislation does not hit foreign cars and trailors.
Because this particular rule is so close to the rules concerning the use of the car, the question is whether every police officer knows the difference between these rules which do not affect foreign cars and the traffic rules, which are valid for all users of the road.
Maarten Dorpema
So to clarify, there is a rule in Holland that a brake cable cannot be wrapped around a tow bar, however, this rule is only specific to cars/trailers registered in Holland, the rule does not apply to vehicles registered in the UK, however, the local police might not know their own rules!
I have to say that since 2007 I have not received feedback from any other members reporting issues with a break-away cable in Holland, and I would hope that you do not encounter any problems either.0 -
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Alko supply two types of breakaway cables one SKU: 1220984 which as per a previous post is the carabiner type clip for direct connection to a fixed point on the towball/bar.
SKU: 368605 is a spring clip type for looping over the towball and back onto the cable itself. I have a 2018 van which was supplied with this type and was`nt suitable as the towball/bar has a fixed connection point.
See the Alko site for examples and NCC Documents for their take on connecting breakaway cables though the actual clip to be used is`nt that clear.
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We’ve had an in depth discussion on this subject on CT in the not so distant past. There’s even been a live Q&A session with a C&MC expert. Officials both in the UK and abroad seem to hold strong beliefs about the legality of various attachment methods - which may or may not align with actual legislation and/Alko’s pictorial advice. The biggest culprits of all are Alko themselves. Not answering specific questions, often not replying, passing queries on to colleagues who in turn don’t reply etc. It seems that any fixed attachment point should be within 10cm of the ball centre - many aren’t. A karabiner type cable should be used and attached to the fixed point, if one exists. For many vans, the karabiner cable is so long that it may hang low enough to wear through on the road. But Alko only make their cables in one length.
We’ve printed out Alko’s pictorial advice and carry it in our van, in case our usage is queried. It’s a ridiculous situation, not helped by Alko’s inability to recognise the problem and provide an option for a shorter cable. Towbar manufacturers too, appear to be ignorant of the need to standardise fixed attachment points in both a legal way and one which works with Alko cables. Officialdom is almost universally ignorant of the above anomalies, and the C&MC, who should be using their influence to remedy matters, aren’t.
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When it comes to lobbying on technical issues, the CAMC are as effective as a chocolate fireguard.
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Where are the staff champions when a question like this arises, correct me if I am wrong but I thought they had been introduced for just such occasions as this.
I have e-mailed Ro to ask if the club can provide and update on the current situation.
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Before we got the current motor-home, during our caravanning days, we had a Skoda Octavia estate fitted with a Westfalia removable tow bar like..
There is no dedicated breakaway fastener, there is no accessible metal either in the rear end of the car, its all completely shrouded in plastic. Looping around the ball was the only option available... Good job we never went to Holland
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Much like my present tow bar, (and my neighbours) On mine there is a metal bar with a hole in it coming down from the main spar but it's well hidden under the bumper and impossible to get to unless you lie on the ground. I'm not even sure it's meant for a breakaway cable
Has it ever been known for a detachable tow bar to... well detach when towing?
I wish the club would give some answers?
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Latest Update:- CaMC has now received all the relevant paperwork and has sent me an email saying they will be in touch...
A possible upside is, if I go ahead and appeal, I have to attend the hearing in person..in The Hague...now where did I put that ACSI book
Unfortunately i cannot speak or read Ductch, some of the words I can translate from a German influence but the the following link...which is the official guidance on towing a caravan in Holland is pretty self explanatory with the pictures...
https://www.anwb.nl/kamperen/caravan/rijden-met-de-caravan/koppeling/losbreekkabel
And yet another offering...
bottom line is: Does the dutch legislation apply to foreign reg vehicles, as mentioned in a document further back this thread.
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For info and as promised..... a copy of the 'ticket' is below.. The fine is €107.00 plus 50% if not paid by due date...I can appeal and need not pay during this time...but if I then appeal that decision (if against me) I have to attend a sub district court in the Hague...
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