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48 Phonebox Magazine | August 2025ACT WISER IF YOU%u2019RE TOWING THIS SUMMER HOLIDAYSchool%u2019s out, six long weeks of summer lie ahead of us and annual holidays are beckoning for thousands of Phonebox readers.For some that will mean jetting off to Europe or America, for others it%u2019ll be down to the docks for a cruise around the Med. And yet more will be getting ready for a road trip, quite likely with a trailer or caravan hitched to the back of the car.The beauty and usefulness of caravans speak for themselves, and you%u2019ll see thousands on Britain%u2019s roads over the coming weeks.But trailers have become increasingly popular in the last two years for a variety of reasons. Families will use a trailer to pack up and go camping with, while others will take their surfboards, jet skis or motorcross bikes away with them for their vacation. More still might have a horse they need to transport for an equestrian break or event this summer.You used to have to take a test if you wanted to tow a caravan or trailer, but that all changed in 2021, and now, if you have a 'standard' Category B driving licence, you can hitch up to a caravan, trailer or horse box and take to the road.But that does not remove your obligations when it comes to safety for you and other road users, and towing is a road skill that should not be taken lightly. There are towing courses available for drivers new to towing or wanting to improve their skills if they are expecting to pull a trailer or caravan in the future. Even if you are confi dent in towing on the open road, if you have not done it for a while, it's worth practising basic movements, such as reversing, on a closed road or quiet track.Safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist recently released a series of towing tips for drivers taking to the highways this summer, calling it the WISER list.%u201cIf you%u2019re towing for the fi rst time or the 100th time, then please put safety fi rst on every journey,%u201d says GEM%u2019s James Luckhurst. %u201cWe all need to ensure we know what we%u2019re doing before setting off . %u201cAs many owners of trailers and caravans tend to use them infrequently, it%u2019s important to ensure the trailer is in a fi t state for the road, as well as checking load distribution, lights, tyres, brakes and couplings.%u201dYou no longer have to take a special test if you want to tow a caravan or trailer. But that doesn%u2019t mean you should ignore the dangers before hitching up and heading for the hills.The WISER checklist for caravan and trailer towing:W for weightCheck the %u2018Gross Train Weight%u2019 (the weight of your fully loaded car plus a fully loaded trailer) on the car%u2019s Vehicle Identifi cation Number (VIN) plate. It%u2019s an off ence to drive the car if you%u2019ve exceeded this weight. Make allowances for limited acceleration and longer stopping distances. With a loaded trailer you may not stop as quickly as you are used to, so leave plenty of space. I for insuranceMost car insurance policies cover you for towing a caravan or trailer. However, this will usually only be third party, meaning that if your caravan became detached from the car you would be covered for injury to other people or damage to their property, but the %u2018van would not be covered. Also ensure you have appropriate breakdown cover. Most recovery companies won%u2019t take a trailer unless it is specifi ed in your contract.S for speedSpeed limits for vehicles towing trailers are lower than you might be used to when you%u2019re not towing. On single-carriageway roads your maximum speed is 50mph, while on dual carriageways and motorways the maximum speed is 60mph. There are other rules when towing, so check them. You must not use the third lane of a three-lane motorway, for example. The penalty is %u00a3100 and three points on your driving licence.E for engineConsider whether your car is powerful enough to be towing a trailer. A good rule of thumb is to check the maximum mass or weight of the trailer. If it%u2019s 85% or less than the total kerb weight of the car, then towing should be fi ne.R for reversingGo slow and steady. The slower you do it, the less likely you are to get into trouble. Find an empty fi eld or car park so you can quietly practice until you are confi dent. To steer the trailer, you need to move the wheel in the opposite direction to that if you were reversing the car with no trailer. This can be tricky, but practice makes perfect %u2013 the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.Phonebox Motoringwith Tom Johnston