| |
SOME HELPFUL DRIVING TIPS
A Good Driver.
Being a good driver generally helps when towing a trailer. Keep both hands
on the wheel, do not tailgate the car in front, keep your eyes on the road
(don’t turn and look at your passenger every time you speak!), and stay on
your side of the road at all times, especially on curves approaching the
brow of a hill. These are just good driving habits, but they are extra
important when you have to deal with towing a trailer.
Let Others Pass.
Always be courteous and thoughtful to other drivers, you need their goodwill
as you will be travelling slower, cornering much slower and generally making
something of a nuisance of yourself to drivers who want to travel at or over
the speed limit. Smile and give way to them every time! Do not wait until
you have a line of cars behind you to pull over and make way for the faster
moving traffic, by allowing them pass you will minimise the chance that they
will become angry and perhaps dangerous.
 Down Hill
When coming down hills, do not allow your vehicle to get too fast. Select a
lower gear which can keep you travelling slower without too much braking.
Over-use of the brakes can cause brake failure. The gears should be used to
hold the speed, not the brakes. If you do have to brake a LIGHT continuous
application is better than very heavy braking, every so often.
Rest Often
Keep in mind that towing a trailer is more stressful than normal driving and
very likely to cause tiredness. Plan your long trips to allow for stops to
give yourself a break about every hour or so. Take water for yourself to
drink, even for fairly short journeys, as dehydration will affect your
reaction times and ability to think clearly.
Cornering
Remember to allow for the extra length and width of your trailer and keep in
mind that they have a tendency to cut in on corners and curves.
Try to anticipate stops and corners so that you can lift you foot off the
accelerator for a few seconds before braking. Brake gradually while you are
still travelling in a straight line, then gently drive around the corner (at
a speed that will not require further braking)
Accelerating and decelerating suddenly can cause trailer sway or cause your
load to move. Make sure that you put your foot on and off the accelerator
with care so that increases and decreases of speed are very gradual.
Travelling
Allow extra space between your vehicle and the one in front while you are
driving with a trailer attached. This will allow you to slow down gradually
if the car in front stops unexpectedly.
Its good to make a rule of never changing speed and direction at the same
time. In other words, do not brake and go around corners simultaneously.
First brake, then corner. Imagine that you are driving on ice or a very
slippery gravel road - drive your vehicle in the same smooth, careful manner
you would use on those surfaces.
Sudden heavy braking could cause your trailer to ‘jacknife’. In wet and
slippery conditions, extra care must be taken to avoid this risk.
Try to look even further ahead than usual to gauge traffic and road
conditions. This will help to avoid problems that could easily be caused by
getting stuck behind a parked car, or having to brake suddenly to avoid
traffic lights which turn red when you were not paying attention.
The Vehicle
Keep in mind that your vehicle will behave quite differently while it is
towing a heavy trailer. The power will be reduced, so do not try to overtake
unless you are sure that it is safe to do so, and … that your vehicle can do
it!
The extra weight behind the vehicle will mean you need to allow longer
distances when you are accelerating, such as when joining traffic. Most
importantly, the extra weight will dramatically increase the required
braking distance of your vehicle. It is especially critical that you allow
extra distance between your car and the car in front.
 Mirrors
Keep an eye on your mirrors so that you are always aware of vehicles coming
up behind you and trying to overtake. If there is room on the shoulder of
the road, pull over (while still moving) so that faster traffic can overtake
you in safety, that way, you can still travel at the slower speed necessary
for towing, and other drivers will not get frustrated and angry with you. If
they are attempted to overtake, when it is not safe to do so out of
frustration, you could find yourself part of a head-on collision.
A very helpful piece of advise came from a sign on a truck that I was stuck
behind in a traffic jam, it said, "If YOU cannot see MY mirror, I cannot see
YOU." Trucks are large and take much more space on the road, particularly
when manoeuvring, give them room to do their job, and they should pay you
the same courtesy - most truckies are reasonably considerate.
Changing Gear
If you are driving a manually geared vehicle, towing a loaded trailer
necessitates very careful gear changes. You need to select and use your
gears intelligently in order to avoid straining your engine. An important
rule is to try to adopt a gradual deceleration and acceleration technique
and gradual smooth braking. Jerky gear changes and inconsiderate driving are
common causes of problems, when it comes to towing.
Right Turns
Use your mirrors to check the traffic flow, and then give plenty of warning
of your intentions to turn by using your indicator at least 50 meters from
the turn (preferably much more, say 100 meters or so). That way you can
avoid the risk of following traffic having to swerve and brake suddenly to
avoid you. To make the turn, you pull into the right hand lane with the nose
of your vehicle level with the centre line of the road into which you are
turning. Turn when it is safe to do so, remembering that you cannot put your
foot to the floor in order to ‘dive’ through a small gap in the traffic, as
you may do when not towing the trailer. If you are in any doubt about
another motorist’s intention to give way to you, signal him to go ahead and
wait for a better opportunity to make your turn.
Motorways and Dual Carriageways
When driving on motorways, you will usually be one of the slower vehicles.
You will find that your trailer will travel better at a slightly slower
speeds. Use your mirrors constantly to be sure that you are not blocking the path of another motorist.
Large vehicles which overtake you may cause a ‘buffeting’ effect which can
‘grab’ at your steering. Do not overcorrect as this will subside as quickly
as it happened, and you could cause more of a problem with your correction.
Keep an eye on weather conditions as high winds on open freeways can affect
the handling of your vehicle and trailer. Fog can also take drivers by
surprise, keep a generous distance between yourself and the car ahead,
especially if you have someone ‘tailgating’ your trailer.
Fishtailing, Sway And Snaking
Fishtailing or sway is a fairly common and very frightening occurrence when
towing a trailer. It involves unexpected sideways swinging of the trailer.
If this movement becomes severe enough to move the back of the towing
vehicle, the phenomenon is known as snaking.
The usual cause for sway is incorrect design of the vehicle/trailer
combination, excess speed, incorrect positioning of the load, and jerky
movements when braking or cornering. If you have followed the Guidelines in
‘Safe Towing’, you should not experience sway caused by overloading.
Another causes of sway can be driving on a poor road surface such as one
where heavy vehicles have left grooves, or on tram tracks. Careful driving
helps to minimise most potential trailer problems, and as speed is a major
cause of sway, you can lessen the risk by travelling at an appropriate
speed.
If you do find your trailer swaying while you are travelling at slower
speeds, a light application of the accelerator will help to counteract it.
However, if you are travelling at higher speeds and have electric brakes,
you should lightly apply only the trailer’s brakes (not the vehicle’s) from
inside the cabin.
Do not fight the sway with the steering wheel as this usually makes the
matter worse, try to keep your vehicle as steady and straight as possible.
When the sway is under control, and at your earliest (safe) chance, check
your load and also check for damage to either the vehicle or the trailer. If
this incident had necessitated plenty of use of the brakes, check all wheels
for overheated brakes and wheel bearings.
Remember
Plan ahead, be considerate, take your time.
|
|
|
