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Safety Tips for Towing a Trailer

By Beth Janicek

This weekend in Comal County, a 59-year-old man was killed in a tragic accident, when two pickup trucks towing trailers collided. Incidents like this are upsetting to hear, especially around the holidays. It is important to always drive carefully and be a defensive driver.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's website has safety tips for driving with a trailer:

-First of all, take time to practice before driving on main roads and never allow anyone to ride in or on the trailer.

-General handling:

• Use the driving gear that the manufacturer recommends for towing.
• Drive at moderate speeds. Trailer instability is likely to occur as speed increases.
• Avoid sudden or stops and starts that can cause skidding, sliding, or jackknifing.
• Avoid sudden steering maneuvers that might create sway or undue side force on the trailer.
• Slow down when traveling on bumpy surfaces.
• Make wider turns at curves and corners.
• To control swaying caused when larger vehicles pass from either direction, release the accelerator pedal to slow down and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.

-Braking:

• Allow considerably more distance for stopping.
• Always anticipate the need to slow down. To reduce speed, shift to a lower gear and press the brakes lightly.

-Acceleration and Passing:

• When passing a slower vehicle or changing lanes, signal well in advance and allow for extra distance to clear the vehicle before you pull back into the land.
• Pass on level terrain with plenty of clearance.
• When passing on narrow roads, be careful not to go onto a soft shoulder. This could cause your trailer to jackknife or go out of control.

-Downgrades and Upgrades:

• Downshift to assist with braking on downgrades and to add power for climbing hills.
• On long downgrades, apply brakes at intervals to keep speed in check. Do not leave brakes on for extended periods or they may overheat.

-Backing Up:

• Put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. To turn left, move your hand left. To turn right, move your hand right. Back up slowly and whenever possible have someone outside of the trailer to guide you.
• Use slight movements of the steering wheel to adjust direction.

-Parking:

• Try to avoid parking on grades. If possible, have someone outside to guide you as you park. Once stopped, but before shifting into Park, have someone place blocks on the downhill side of the trailer wheels. Apply the parking brake, shift into Park, and then remove your foot from the brake pedal. Following this parking sequence is important to make sure your vehicle does not become locked in Park because of extra load on the transmission. For manual transmissions, apply the parking brake and then turn the vehicle off in either first or reverse gear.

Try to remember these safety tips next time you are towing a trailer, and remember to always drive safely.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Beth Janicek

Full post as published by San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer on December 22, 2009 (boomark / email).