Towing

E39MSport

If you're towing a car that is either unroadworthy or mechanically disfunctional in some way, is it deemed as being driven or not?

In other words, could the person behind the wheel in the towed vehicle be done for driving an unroadworthy car?

I've seen some right sh*t buckets being towed that wouldn't make an inch down the road under their own power.

Even if an otherwise perfect car is broken down with engine problems, it will effectively have no brakes and so is as good as a wreck in terms of safety.

biko

There is a thread around here somewhere about this this but I think that if the towed car doesn't have NCT, tax etc it should really be on a trailer.
Towing is fine for a car that for instance ran out of petrol or similar but not to bring rust buckets around.
Someone else will probably know better the legalities of it all.

gooch2k9

I'd hope its illegal anyway. Having been in a rustbucket steering I know I'll never be doing it again. Too dicey!

Esel

Driveshaft went in a Volvo 360 near Portlaoise about 20 years ago (on way home from a funeral about 10 pm in winter). Went into local rural pub to ring b-i-l, but he reckoned his motor wouldn't be up to towing me. Publican said as it was a quiet night, he'd tow me up for £20! Right says I.

Fupper hardly went below 60mph the whole way (Mercedes 300D). It was some white-knuckle ride I can tell you. He nearly had me into a telegraph pole on that left-hand bend on the way out of Monasterevin. I was hardly able to speak when we eventually arrived outside my house....

Also got towed on a motorbike once. Definitely not to be recommended!

Seth Brundle

Am I correct in thinking that it is now illegal to tow a car using a tow rope and it has to be a proper towing bar thing?

Esel

Via a search for 'towing' in title of threads in Motors.

From this thread (note post #17 from user NGA, a member of AGS) I found this one in the Emergency Services forum.

It would appear that towing with a rope is not illegal per se.

Note that GVW (of both towing and towed vehicle) and licence class of driver of towing vehicle are to be considered.

BostonB

Are their any stats on accidents due to towing?

CiniO

E39MSport wrote: »

Even if an otherwise perfect car is broken down with engine problems, it will effectively have no brakes and so is as good as a wreck in terms of safety.

What do you mean "no brakes" ???

Brakes work perfectly fine, except there's no ABS, EBD, etc, or brake booster.

You just need more force on the pedal, to gain the same functionality.

Bonito

kbannon wrote: »

Am I correct in thinking that it is now illegal to tow a car using a tow rope and it has to be a proper towing bar thing?

I think you're right. A friend of my dad's couldn't tow his car with his van up to his garage when the cam belt sensor went so he had to get a tow truck.

He said the Gardaí had stopped him the week before and told him it's 5 points now if you're caught towing a car with a rope.

E39MSport

CiniO wrote: »

What do you mean "no brakes" ???

Brakes work perfectly fine, except there's no ABS, EBD, etc, or brake booster.

You just need more force on the pedal, to gain the same functionality.

.... therefore they're not 'fine'.

Try stopping my 8 series when the hydraulics are down and the brake pressure is zilch. Or indeed stopping my 3 ton landcruiser without any assistance other than the rear of the car thats towing you.

Tallon

CiniO wrote: »

What do you mean "no brakes" ???

Brakes work perfectly fine, except there's no ABS, EBD, etc, or brake booster.

You just need more force on the pedal, to gain the same functionality.

You've obviously never tried braking, with no engine, while being towed in the rain.

I was so close at one stage to the car towing me that I could read his tax disc

Hairy stuff

BostonB

Bonito wrote: »

...He said the Gardaí had stopped him the week before and told him it's 5 points now if you're caught towing a car with a rope.

Be interesting to find the details of that

BostonB

Tallon wrote: »

You've obviously never tried braking, with no engine, while being towed in the rain.

I was so close at one stage to the car towing me that I could read his tax disc

Hairy stuff

Why was the tax disc on the back?

Brakes especially on a heavy car, are extremely weak on a towed car. Not sure why this, if theres some feature on modern cars, that causes this, as I never noticed years ago. A tow bar would be a much better idea.

peasant

BostonB wrote: »

Brakes especially on a heavy car, are extremely weak on a towed car. Not sure why

All modern cars have power assisted brakes. For that to work the engine needs to be running (to provide the vacuum that's needed)
When the engine isn't running and you have to brake in one of those cars, you have to hit the pedal so hard, you'll be pulling the steering wheel out

Tallon

BostonB wrote: »

Why was the tax disc on the back?

:facepalm:

CiniO

E39MSport wrote: »

.... therefore they're not 'fine'.

Try stopping my 8 series when the hydraulics are down and the brake pressure is zilch. Or indeed stopping my 3 ton landcruiser without any assistance other than the rear of the car thats towing you.

Never driven 8 series or 3 ton landcruiser.
But tried this in many other cars though, including over transit with over 4ton GVW. Never had problems. You just need strong foot.

CiniO

Tallon wrote: »

You've obviously never tried braking, with no engine, while being towed in the rain.

I was so close at one stage to the car towing me that I could read his tax disc

Hairy stuff

What a difference if there's rain or not? Can't see any connection.

If you were close, maybe you started to brake too late.

Tallon

CiniO wrote: »

What a difference if there's rain or not? Can't see any connection.

Are you saying you don't ajust your driving habits in the rain?

Seth Brundle

CiniO wrote: »

What a difference if there's rain or not? Can't see any connection.

If you were close, maybe you started to brake too late.

Apart from the obvious item that Tallon pointed out (that it takes longer to stop in the rain), trying to brake with no engine running requires a lot of effort as there is no servo working!

CiniO

kbannon wrote: »

Apart from the obvious item that Tallon pointed out (that it takes longer to stop in the rain),

No, it doesn't!
It only does during emergency breaking, because on wet surface you can't get as good grip as on dry one.
But during normal breaking just to slow down, it doesn't make any difference if it's wet or not.

trying to brake with no engine running requires a lot of effort as there is no servo working!

It required bigger force on brake pedal. That's it. Not a big issue.

CiniO

Tallon wrote: »

Are you saying you don't ajust your driving habits in the rain?

Habbits stay the same.
It's just a speed or distance kept which is bigger, because in case of emergency breaking, or taking bends fast, car can easier loose grip.

Tallon

CiniO wrote: »

Habbits stay the same.
.

They shouldn't if your in anyway a good driver

dr.fuzzenstein

kbannon wrote: »

Apart from the obvious item that Tallon pointed out (that it takes longer to stop in the rain), trying to brake with no engine running requires a lot of effort as there is no servo working!

Also for some reason Ford Focus without running engine takes three men to turn the steering wheel and would be next to uncontrollable.

CiniO

Tallon wrote: »

They shouldn't if your in anyway a good driver

What habbits should you change then?

E39MSport

.... c'mon lads.

edit: Mods. Question answered for me thanks to Esel Can be closed off.

Esel

Bonito wrote: »

I think you're right. A friend of my dad's couldn't tow his car with his van up to his garage when the cam belt sensor went so he had to get a tow truck.

He said the Gardaí had stopped him the week before and told him it's 5 points now if you're caught towing a car with a rope.

No objection to the thread being closed, but the post above is intriguing! Could we thrash this news out a bit more, and leave the 'control/braking' issue aside?

Esel

Not mentioned on the 'official list'.

Now I'm thinking Bonito's dad's friend only said that to get out of towing the car.

Only 2 points for driving the wrong way on a motorway, 1 point for driving the wrong way around a roundabout. They need to get real!

Tallon

Thats ridiculous

cipi

so no officcial answer?gardai rsa whatever???if it is legal or ileagal ..to tow...with or with out a rope..etc...

Jesus.

Tallon wrote: »

I was so close at one stage to the car towing me that I could read his tax disc

BostonB wrote: »

Why was the tax disc on the back?

My thoughts too!

Volvoair

maybe the car towing him was ....reversing ;-)