Towing a car and hazard warning lights

[Brown Cat]

Every time I see a car being towed the towed car has its hazard lights on
whilst being pulled along. Motorists driving behind it are unable to
clearly see the indicator lights of the leading car and can have no idea
if the car is going to change direction.

I don't know why the person sitting in the towed car doesn't just keep
their hazards off and uses their indicators to match the leading vehicle.
What is the correct thing to do?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Brown Cat laid this down on his screen :

> I don't know why the person sitting in the towed car doesn't just keep
> their hazards off and uses their indicators to match the leading vehicle.
> What is the correct thing to do?

The correct thing would be an 'On Tow' sign with the registration
number of the towing vehicle in the rear window of the towed vehicle
(but I don't often see this anymore and very sensibly an orange
flashing beacon on the roof, with the lights and indicators used as
normally.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

[Vicko Zoomba]

Keep your distance because you cant tell which way it will turn.

McKevvy

[loopy livernose]

"Brown Cat" <br...@eye.invalid> wrote in message
news:ktwXm.99807$lP6....@newsfe13.ams2...

as said.. take extra care.. the hazard warning lights are warning you of a
hazard....

If you mean for the driver of the towed vehicle...

last time I was in this unfortunate position.. I was lucky enough to have a
yellow beacon.. (I was on a trip to rescue a friend when I broke down (you
couldn't make it up)).. however I also used my hazards until turning, then
turned them off and indicated.. the yellow beacon was put on the roof of
the tow car (as seems to be the proper practice)..

simples...

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[Mr Benn]

"Brown Cat" <br...@eye.invalid> wrote in message
news:ktwXm.99807$lP6....@newsfe13.ams2...

The HC states that hazard warning lights should not be used on a moving
vehicle. I assume that also applies to towing.

[Conor]

In article <ktwXm.99807$lP6....@newsfe13.ams2>, Brown Cat says...

> I don't know why the person sitting in the towed car doesn't just keep
> their hazards off and uses their indicators to match the leading vehicle.
> What is the correct thing to do?

So as you don't know what the correct thing to do is, how do you know
they're not being correct in what they're doing?

--
Conor
www.notebooks-r-us.co.uk

I'm not prejudiced. I hate everybody equally.

[Graham Harrison]

"Brown Cat" <br...@eye.invalid> wrote in message
news:ktwXm.99807$lP6....@newsfe13.ams2...

Very few people seem to know when/why to use their hazard lights. An awful
lot of people seem to use them to indicate that they are parked illegally!

[Vicko Zoomba]

On 21 Dec, 14:19, "Graham Harrison"

An awful lot of recovery trucks dont know when to use their orange cab
roof lights and when not to use them.

McKevvy

[Martin]

"Vicko Zoomba" <vicko_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1a06883e-96e3-4640...@26g2000yqo.googlegroups.com...

====

What is the correct usage of cab roof lights? On whenever towing or
stationary while hooking up the towed car, or more restrictive than that?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Martin submitted this idea :

Definitely while stationary, when there is a need to give protection to
the driver whilst working. Probably whilst towing, but definitely not
if the broken down vehicle has been hoisted onto the back of the truck
which is able to move just like any other truck.

[Martin]

"Harry Bloomfield" <harry...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:mn.ad4e7d9c97...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk...

>> What is the correct usage of cab roof lights? On whenever towing or
>> stationary while hooking up the towed car, or more restrictive than that?
>
> Definitely while stationary, when there is a need to give protection to
> the driver whilst working. Probably whilst towing, but definitely not if
> the broken down vehicle has been hoisted onto the back of the truck which
> is able to move just like any other truck.

Ah, yes I suppose you do sometimes see recovery trucks with the lights on
when the recovered car is on the back rather than being towed. Agreed: that
is one time when the lights probably should not be used.

While towing - yes, to warn anyone behind that a) that you are driving at
maximum of 50 mph, may take longer to accelerate and may slow down further
than normal at junctions and bends; b) the vehicle is longer than at first
appearance because there is no gap between the car and the towing lorry
whereas there *might* be if they are two separate vehicles.

OT: Has anyone had the RAC van break down while being towed? When my fan
belt failed, I was towed home by the RAC with the front wheels of my car on
a trolley towed behind the van and the back wheels on the road. Half a mile
from home, that trolley got a flat tyre and the RAC man had to unload my
car, put the spare on the trolley and reload my car. For the sake of half a
mile running on battery and with no power steering, I was tempted to drive
the last bit myself but the RAC man said no.

[NM]

On 21 Dec, 14:19, "Graham Harrison"
<edward.harris...@remove.btinternet.com> wrote:

In this situation they are not used a hazard lights thery become
invisibility lights under the sadly mistaken impression that the car
becomes invisible to traffic wardens and police.

[Brown Cat]

On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:19:28 +0000, Graham Harrison wrote:

> Very few people seem to know when/why to use their hazard lights. An
> awful lot of people seem to use them to indicate that they are parked
> illegally!

It's to help traffic wardens spot them more easily.