Trailers/Towed items.

[PeteB]

Someone asked me to sign another No10 petition. This one was to have some kind of legislation regards to trailers having regular official check overs, something on the lines of an MOT. On the one hand I agree having just found three out of four tyres with blebs on them but do we need another peice of bureacracy when common sense and self awareness is all that's needed. On a trip around the rep's patch today I counted more trailers with poor lights, then good. Missing number plates etc, poorly loaded units and one guy who definately had forgot that it was on the back of his Transit.

 

What's your opinion. Test or no test?

[madmatt]

Quick reply. Test is good.

[Andy Collins]

I think there is adequate legislation out there already, its already an offence to have dodgy trailer tyres, poor lights etc, so why the need for a test, its only valid on the day of the test (such as MOT) anyway. As well as this, number plates should be corresponding with the vehicle towing it. The police, vosa and so on already know what they are looking for, as far as overloading, nose-weight goes.

[Lee Winger]

Test and TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Quickthorn]

I wouldn't be surprised if there are plans in place for this anyway.

 

I'm torn between two positions. On the one hand, you'd like to leave it to common sense and the existing legislation, and I certainly wouldn't look forward to another 2 sets of test fees and associated time tied up arranging tests/repairs/retests; on the other hand, common sense isn't all that common, and I've seen numerous instances of trailers with no working lights, tyres in dangerous conditions which are then run until they burst, home made trailers made from ancient caravan chassis which are then loaded up to the 2 ton mark and beyond - and that's just amongst people I know! On balance, a testing scheme seems sensible.

[Big dog]

Got to be a test. On one hand it would serve to inconvienience the inocent but hopefuuly it would remove all of those mickey mouse trailers old people build in their sheds out of old caravans and the like. i always have a giggle when i see one of those! Funnily enough, going down the m6 last night and saw a speed boat trailer, with boat, on the hard shoulder missing a wheel. How a test may have saved him some ball ache last night! Plus, nasty little missile that that wheel becomes at 60mph on a busy road.

[andythesquirel]

I know what incident started this petition. It was a child fatality in Heage in Derbyshire last year.

A mother was walking her child down a quietish road to school which was just around the corner. There was a vehicle towing a trailer coming down the hill also, when the trailer detached from the car. The trailer ran onto the kerb and crushed the mother and child against a wall and lampost. The mother and child had no escape route! Child was killed outright, and mother recieved serious injuries, and was airlifted for treatment.

This was a shocking incident. In my job I am no stranger to fatalities, but where this occured, was where I had been pushing my newborn son down the same pavement the day before!

The trailer in question was the home made Mickey mouse type. Tiny wheels, wood sides, no brake, rusty, etc. IT WAS NOT ATTACHED BY A SAFETY CABLE TO THE VEHICLE. Therefore when it jumped off the cars tow ball there was nothing left to stop it.

I am torn re the question of a trailer test, as there is plenty of legislation out there allready. THE TRAILER IN THE FATALITY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ON THE ROAD. However, if a test is the only way of removing these type of trailers then i'm all for it.

I know that a test would cause few problems for arbtalk members as i am sure we all use trailers fit for purpose.

[madmatt]

Ok its probably going to be a bit of a pain the neck but at the end of the day it could save a life. I am not a fan of the nanny state and loads of legislation but I feel itb would be good to have trailer MOT's and SVA's for home made trailers.

[Dean Lofthouse]

You can't rely on people maintaining their trailers, I have seen some right sheds on the road which were quite obviously a danger to the public.

 

Sometimes you have to force people into doing things and at least testing trailers will force them to at least give them a yearly overhauL.

[Yorkshireman]

its all well & good having these tests in place

 

However any eu licence holder with a relevant licence

can drive that combination on these roads ,regardless of the test criteria in their home country for 12 months, without having to meet the standards that uk residents are obliged to reach ie post 97 B + additional to reach B+E

 

this unfairly disandvantages uk residents in my book !

 

lets get the basics right first, then we can move forward. .

 

Also can you imangine the up roar from the caravan brigade !!!!!!

cost of fuel , road tax , car mot , caravan mot , they'll slit the governments throat