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.
Putting the clocks back – the debate
As the old Black Country joke goes, “you can tell winters coming – it’s
getting later earlier …”
Buy Safe T Signs from our website here: http://www.safetowing.co.uk/buy-now.htm
Putting the clocks back – the debate
The clocks go back on Sunday. “Putting
the clocks back” seems to be increasingly controversial. This week MPs complained of the annual ritual
which leads to “plunging the UK into darkness by mid-afternoon”. RoSPA argue that “an extra hour of evening daylight could help to save lives and
reduce injuries ….”
A recent survey found that
the vast majority in England do not want the clocks to go back in October - road safety was one of the main reasons. The company carrying out the survey said "Every
year we see a steep increase in the number of accidents after the clocks go
back due to reduced visibility at afternoon rush-hour. Motorists are more likely to be tired after a
day's work and concentration levels are lower, also children tend to go
straight to school in the mornings but spend longer on their way back home in
the afternoon, thus increasing their exposure to road dangers."[i]
On a different tack, University
of Cambridge Research in 2010 said abandoning moving clocks back in the autumn
"could have a range of energy benefits for Scotland, Wales and
England." The researchers estimated
that there could be energy savings “approximately equivalent to that consumed
by 210,000 households or 74 per cent of the domestic electricity consumption of
Glasgow in 2008.”
Twilight towing
All year round lots of trailer owners choose to drive at night to avoid
traffic congestion. In the autumn and
winter many trailers are twoed in dim light, day and evening. Caravans and boats are put into winter storage;
People clearing up gardens and outhouses and their trailers go to and fro from
the local tip.
Then there are hardened towers who don’t let the season or thedark stop
them - all-year round caravanners, brave sailors and people whose hobbies or jobs
that mean that their trailer stays hitched!
Safe-Twilight-Towing
Regardless of how light it is, towing a trailer is very different from
driving solo. Towing outfits are longer,
slower, take longer to accelerate and brake, and handle very differently from a
solo vehicle and the hazards that you face are very different. Add this the fact that it is more difficult
to see in reduced light. As the light ddims
drivers’ ability to see the road ahead declines – contrast fades, colours fade
and edges become indistinct.
At night drivers’ eyes need all the help you can give them. Even in the
best conditions drivers’ ability to assess the speed and position of oncoming
vehicles is reduced at night, so you need to allow an extra safety margin.
We took this picture a few years ago.
We think the Safe T-Sign on the side of the care really stands out.
What about the boat behind it? Did you even notice it? Most
people don’t, or at least, not until it’s pointed out to them. The Safe T-Sign
alerts you to the fact that there’s more to this car than immediately meets the
eye.
When it’s dark and it’s more difficult to see in general, trailers
often aren’t visible, especially from the side.
Even with larger trailers, their colour and/ or speed means that they
often aren’t conspicuous to other road users in the dark and in poor
visibility.
Safe T-Signs are highly reflective and show up in the headlights of
other vehicles. Research has shown the
use of reflective images can reduce the incidence of night time collision by up
to 40%. Safe T-Signs really stand out in
the dark and let other drivers know that you are towing and to expect a trailer
to follow your vehicle.
Towing in the dark – what our
customer say?
The testimonials speak for themselves.
I’ve found Safe T-Sign very handy when towing, especially at night
and in bad visibility. They give other motorists warning that you are a longer
vehicle. They are very easy to apply and store." AL, Colchester
"I have used the signs every time I have towed,
Christmas with my caravan and at least half a dozen rowing events. Most
certainly during the winter, when towing in the dark, I felt they were
definitely an advantage as when leaving the rowing club I have to enter a
fairly busy main road from a narrow side street with high buildings obscuring
the trailer from any oncoming traffic." PJ, Chester
Last year I sat next to a lady at a dinner. Quite spontaneously she said
that the weekend before, driving back from her daughters on the motorway, in the
dark. She was overtaken by a car. She also
wanted to overtake as soon as it was
safe. She watched the car go past, was about to pull out when she realised that
the car had a long, unloaded trailer behind it. There had been no
warning, no way that she would have known, if something hadn’t caught her eye
then there could have been a bit of a bump. A Safe T-Signs would have alerted her.
Whether you tow throughout the dark months, or mothball your trailers
until Spring, Safe T-Signs will help other people see that you’re towing. You can buy your Safe T-Signs and start using them now or save them for the Spring!
When you’re towing, stay safe with Safe T-Signs.
See our new website ... Here
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
