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Author: Subject: Towing a car legality stuff???
Regsmonster

posted on 26/2/10 at 04:49 PM Reply With Quote
Towing a car legality stuff???

Is it legal to tow an untaxed and unMOT'd car on the public highway? Or does it need to be a trailer?

I've tried searching on the dvla/gov website but cannot find anything..........

Cheers

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blakep82

posted on 26/2/10 at 04:51 PM Reply With Quote
no, has to be on a trailer

if any part of the car is touching the road, it has to be taxed

[Edited on 26/2/10 by blakep82]





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Regsmonster

posted on 26/2/10 at 04:55 PM Reply With Quote
Thought as much.
Cheers

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speedyxjs

posted on 26/2/10 at 04:58 PM Reply With Quote
Yes, it must be trailered. If any wheels are on the ground, it needs MOT and Tax (insurance?)





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indykid

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:03 PM Reply With Quote
if you insure it (1 day insurance) and book a local MOT, you can drive it.......i suppose you don't even have to turn up at the MOT if it's somewhere you don't mind pissing off

tom






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GMPMotorsport

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:09 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
no, has to be on a trailer

if any part of the car is touching the road, it has to be taxed

[Edited on 26/2/10 by blakep82]


What about a dolly (where 2 wheels are on the ground?)





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blakep82

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:09 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by indykid
if you insure it (1 day insurance) and book a local MOT, you can drive it.......i suppose you don't even have to turn up at the MOT if it's somewhere you don't mind pissing off

tom


mmm sort of, yeah, but if you'r driving it 20 miles, and you get stopped coz it flashes up on ANPR, the copper's going to want to know why you didn't use the MOT tester round the corner from where you bought it. so not really





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g.gilo

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:10 PM Reply With Quote
tow

if you tow with a solid bar does it become a trailer?
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Humbug

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:11 PM Reply With Quote
as above: you can drive (and, I assume, tow) it on the road without tax or MOT but only if a) it's insured and b) it's to/from a prearranged MOT test.

I think dollies are only legal for emergency recovery and I guess that you would still need insurance, etc.

A solid bar means it doesn't have to have someone sitting in it, but I think if the thing being towed is registered as a car, it's a car whatever!

[Edited on 26.02.2010 by Humbug]

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owelly

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:17 PM Reply With Quote
Driving to the MOT station with no MOT: You CAN drive there with no MOT or tax and there is no regal limit to how far you can drive to the station but if the BiB want to, they can impound your car, take it to the DOT/VOSA MOT station and take you to court for each offence the car fails the MOT on. It has happened but usually when they think the car is blatently flouting the 'drive to the MOT station with no MOT' rule. I did a bit of research after driving my Bongo from Southampton to a pre-arranged MOT in Whitby........ And then a Trailered the new Bongo from Bristol!! (See this months PPC mag!)





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matt_claydon

posted on 26/2/10 at 05:39 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Humbug

A solid bar means it doesn't have to have someone sitting in it,




Absolutely not true, you'll crash the first time you brake if you try that! Only an A-frame or dolly lets you leave the driver out of the towed car, and both ARE FOR RECOVERY PURPOSES ONLY.

This comes up every couple of weeks, just search for towing. There is a DfT fact sheet on this explaining the law in detail.

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Humbug

posted on 26/2/10 at 06:30 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by matt_claydon
quote:
Originally posted by Humbug

A solid bar means it doesn't have to have someone sitting in it,




Absolutely not true, you'll crash the first time you brake if you try that! Only an A-frame or dolly lets you leave the driver out of the towed car, and both ARE FOR RECOVERY PURPOSES ONLY.

This comes up every couple of weeks, just search for towing. There is a DfT fact sheet on this explaining the law in detail.


Oops! I know what I meant (i.e. A frame) but didn't read properly (solid bar). My bad

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jimmyjoebob

posted on 26/2/10 at 07:06 PM Reply With Quote
If a vehicle is being towed on an A frame even with all four wheels on the road it does not need an mot or insurance PROVIDED it has a trailer board with working lights displaying the licence plate of the towing vehicle (the car being towed' own plate shouldn't be visible). It becomes classed as a trailer so must still have legal tyres and no sharp edges etc (in line with trailer requirements).





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matt_claydon

posted on 26/2/10 at 07:11 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by jimmyjoebob
If a vehicle is being towed on an A frame even with all four wheels on the road it does not need an mot or insurance PROVIDED it has a trailer board with working lights displaying the licence plate of the towing vehicle (the car being towed' own plate shouldn't be visible). It becomes classed as a trailer so must still have legal tyres and no sharp edges etc (in line with trailer requirements).


Yes, but unless it's less than 750kg GROSS weight then a trailer requires proper inertia-overrun brakes acting on ALL wheels. Also, even if you could work the brakes, overrun brakes are only allowed on centre-axle trailers - a towed car would be a drawbar trailer.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/factsheetaframes.pdf

[Edited on 26/2/10 by matt_claydon]

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jimmyjoebob

posted on 26/2/10 at 07:40 PM Reply With Quote
Ah, I had forgotten about brake weight limits!





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loggyboy

posted on 26/2/10 at 09:35 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
no, has to be on a trailer

if any part of the car is touching the road, it has to be taxed

[Edited on 26/2/10 by blakep82]


Can you find/quote the legislation that states that?

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dave1888

posted on 26/2/10 at 11:51 PM Reply With Quote
Dont know what the law states but i towed a mx5 right off front/rear damage from Carlisle to Livingston 100miles on a towing dolly i must have passed 3 traffic police on the M6/74 i even passed another in motorway services and none stopped me. I think it depends on the police mood whether they stop you or not.






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FEZ1025

posted on 28/2/10 at 07:45 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by jimmyjoebob
Ah, I had forgotten about brake weight limits!


Forget any brake weight limits, if the vehicle being towed has brakes fitted then they must work n tandem of the vehicle pulling it, unless the dolly has brakes.

quote:
Originally posted by dave1888Dont know what the law states but i towed a mx5 right off front/rear damage from Carlisle to Livingston 100miles on a towing dolly i must have passed 3 traffic police on the M6/74 i even passed another in motorway services and none stopped me. I think it depends on the police mood whether they stop you or not.


So have I, in fact I bet over the years I've done several thosand miles with cars on back of dolly's still doesn't make it legal though.

Alan...

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