Summer is upon us
and we are heading out. If you happen to be one of
the many RVers who also tow a car, boat or trailer,
there are some things you should know.
The California
Department of Motor Vehicles has some rules and
regulations:
The vehicle being
towed must be licensed and displaying current
registration. It must be electrically connected to
the tow vehicle and equipped with clearance lights,
running lights, turn signals, brake lights and a
license plate light.
The vehicle or
trailer being towed must be secured to the tow
vehicle by a pair of cables or chains with a rating
of twice the GVW (gross vehicle weight) of the
vehicle being towed.
The towing vehicle
must have exterior mirrors on both sides, and must
be able to see both sides of the vehicle or trailer
being towed. The towed vehicle cannot be in a blind
spot. Backup or rearview cameras are not sufficient.
Any vehicle towing
another vehicle or trailer is required to follow the
same lane and speed restrictions as the large
semi-trucks and trailers. That is to say, you are
restricted to the two far right lanes of any
multi-lane road in California, and the maximum speed
limit is 55 mph. Using the high-occupancy or diamond
lanes while towing a vehicle or trailer is a big
ticket offense.
California’s laws
concerning towed vehicles is pretty much the same
throughout the United States. They are DOT
(Department of Transportation) laws.
Just because you
have never been pulled over for doing 70 while
pulling your Samurai, doesn’t mean you were not
breaking the law. It just means some CHP officer
gave you a break. But when the weather gets ugly, or
the traffic gets heavy, the chance of getting pulled
over goes way up.
Planning ahead,
checking road conditions and leaving plenty of time
to reach your destination will, in the long run,
make the whole trip safer and more enjoyable.
Remember, the rules
of the road are designed to get all of us from point
A to point B as quickly and safely as possible. To
ignore them, is to put all of us at risk.
Enjoy the RV Life!
