Buy Safe T Signs from our website here: http://www.safetowing.co.uk/buy-now.htm
We’re already into the Easter school holiday. In a few days it will be Easter weekend. Encouraged by the good weather I’m sure lots of people are thinking about getting out caravans and boats, or the trailer tent, or simply using their trailers to help them shift either their luggage, or perhaps to help them de clutter.
More than 15% of vehicles are fitted with a towbar. They tow caravans, horseboxes, boat trailers,
box trailers and general purpose trailers.
While Joe Public might think that caravans are the most common type of
trailer, they’re only actually about 20% of the trailer market.
Be Prepared
As a tower, you might want to adopt the Boy Scout motto of being prepared. A memorable quote for me from The Essential Towing Handbook is:
“Anticipating the actions of other road users is critical for
safety. Never assume that other road
users have either seen you or are going to react according to the Highway Code.“
(Page 87).
The Handbook also says:
“What we see depends largely on what we expect to see. You may have experienced at one time or another, pulling out and narrowly missing a bicycle coming from the direction in which you have just looked. Errors of this type are common because drivers are generally looking for cars or lorries but not for smaller objects such as bicycles or motorcycles which they fail to see. When we concentrate we don’t just look at a particular part of a scene, we look for particular types of objects in that scene. We find it easier to detect objects that we expect to see, and react more quickly to them. Conversely we often fail to see objects that we do not expect to see.”
We see what we expect to see
Interestingly, various studies on the conspicuity of HGVs and other large vehicles have found that although other drivers should have seen a really large truck, for some reason they didn’t. We also know that “Failed to look properly” is the most frequently reported contributory factor in accidents and was involved in 40 per cent of all reported accidents.
As a tower, you should do everything you can to ensure that other drivers are more likely to notice that you’re towing a trailer. Even if you think it’s obvious, the evidence suggests that you shouldn't rely on other drivers spotting the obvious - they might not. This is well illustrated by the experience of one of our Safe T-Sign users:
“I invested in the signs for safety reasons. I was negotiating a large
island with my Discovery and twin axle tourer.
Some idiot hadn’t realised I was towing a nearly 8m long caravan and
tried to slot in behind my car and then realised his mistake. I had to take
exceptional driving manoeuvres to avoid a collision. I can express the importance that these
signs make to road safety, especially when towing coming out of side roads on
to main roads, even in country lanes especially where there are motor bikes as
they are on top of you in no time at all.
Whenever I tow I make sure these signs are fitted. I would rather be
seen than somebody not realise that I’m towing until it is too late. It is a possible life saving product.” AP, Coventry
Safe T-Signs let other road users see that you’re towing – even if they don’t see your trailer. Place them on your car doors before you start your journey then peel them off when you get there. Safe T-Signs are invaluable if you are towing your caravan or simply taking a trailer to the local refuse site.
Other road users can see Safe T-Sign magnetic signs on your car.
They’re particularly useful when the vehicle you are towing is out of sight or
obscured from view. Safe T-Signs
contribute to your safety when you are out and about on the road, where it
matters.
Safe T-Signs are magnetic, reflective in the dark or poor lighting conditions and visible from 50m. Use your Safe T-Sign when you are towing any kind of trailer – including caravans, low-level trailers, boats, horse boxes and motor bike trailers.
Safe T-Signs
Whatever kind of trailer you’re towing, Safe T Signs mean Safe Towing! Be seen and be safe when you emerge from junctions or roundabouts, and when you are towing in the dark.
Buy Safe T Signs from our website here: http://www.safetowing.co.uk/buy-now.htm
