UK moves away from mandatory caravan towing tests

Published: August 8, 2022

As debate simmers in Australia about the merits or otherwise of mandating towing courses for caravanners, the UK has effectively been moving in the opposite direction.

The first British summer holiday season since new driving law changes allowed more people to town caravans without extra training is now in full swing.

Under the new rules which came into force in the UK last December, anyone who passed their driving test after January 1, 1997, will now be able to tow a trailer that is up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (or maximum technical permitted laden mass as it applies to caravans), without taking an additional test.

The Daily Express reports that this change brings the towing weight limits for this group of drivers in line with those people who passed their driving test before this date.

Caravan towing in the UK

It means the car and trailer towing test that used to be required for younger drivers has now been scrapped.

However, people who are looking to start driving a car and trailer are still being encouraged to undergo professional training.

The Express reports that last year’s changes came into being after the proposals were backed by a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) consultation.

A total of 64.9% of respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed with allowing car drivers to tow a tailor without an additional test.

However, a similar percentage of respondents believed drivers would still want some training before towing a trailer, even if this was not mandatory.

There is concern in some quarters that the new rules could cause issues.   A spokesperson for the ‘We Buy Any Motorcaravan’ company, Thomas Owens, warned it could lead to ‘more accidents’.

“Those tests have now been scrapped and suddenly motorists will be able to tow bigger and heavier caravans than they’re used to,” he told the Daily Express.

In the UK, almost half of road accident claims involving caravans take place in the summer months between June and August.

The number of accidents reaches a peak in August, with more than 20% of accident claims where there’s a caravan involved take place this month.

It is still too early to tell what impact of any, the rule changes will have on the number of accidents involving caravans on British roads.

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My opinion is that all drivers in Australia should complete the appropriate training and have their licence endorsed before they tow any type of trailer.
In my opinion the UK are headed in the wrong direction on this matter.

Totally agree

Thankfully common sense has prevailed in the UK. Let’s hope some of that is transferred to the local ‘license for everything’ brigade and we hear nothing from them in future.
Somehow I doubt that!

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