Towing Mirrors - most are now illegal!

There's no reason to do so. The view requirements for the normal exterior mirrors do not cover anything inboard of a plane parallel to the vertical longitudinal median plane and through the extreme outer point of the vehicle (vehicle/trailer combination). There's obviously nothing stopping you installing something that allows you to see inboard of that plane and possibly revealing your trailer but I don't see anything that forces you to do so. There's a limit to how far your mirror can project outboard beyond the widest point too, which might scupper the idea for your trailer anyway.

Look more closely at your standard mirrors. The markings are not on the glass, they're moulded into the plastic housing. LR have been using class III mirrors since at least the late RRCs - you'll have them, too.

Hit the brakes very hard - they'll soon learn that they can't be seen! Did that once in the fog with a 'Roller' that wanted to be in the back of my ex-mil Series IIa (bumperettes, NATO hook etc.) - very effective it was, too.

Reply to
Dougal
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Peter,

Don't believe everything you read in the Caravan Club magazine :o( The information for the article was supplied by the mirror manufacturer Milenco! Guess who is the only supplier currently making mirrors bearing the marks they say are a legal requirement?

Here is copied the text of an email reply from the Department for Transport, to a caravan accessories retailer following a request for clarification of that CC article.

"The requirements for caravan towing mirrors follow the vehicle mirror requirements as defined in Regulation 33 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Regulation 33 requires that the mirrors comply with either the EC Directives (71/127/EEC or

2003/97/EC) or UNECE Regulation 46.

The current confusion is based on the fact that Regulation 33 allows compliance with EC Directive 2003/97/EC. However, the requirements of this Directive do not become compulsory for new cars until 26th January 2010. Therefore, if the towing-mirror is already in use, or newly purchased now - E marking is preferred (but not strictly required).

If a NEW car is purchased after 26th January 2010, then 2003/97/EC or UNECE Regulation 46 compliant caravan towing mirrors will be required for that vehicle. We assume that all caravan towing mirrors would comply with the new requirements by that time.

For those who want to be pedantic about the markings on the mirrors: 'e' in a rectangle signifies approval to the EC Directives; and 'E' in a circle signifies approval to the UNECE Regulation.

Either of these markings is acceptable.

I trust this helps."

(Reply via NG please)

Reply to
Neil

On or around Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:59 +0100, Neil enlightened us thusly:

yep. It underlines what I'd already deduced from reading the legislation - there's a change in 2010 but it's almost certainly not retrospective.

Has anyone written a rude letter to the CC magazine for this? I'd be inclined to, if I were a member. They should check their facts a bit more carefully and consider the source of such articles.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Yes, I plan to. As a CC member I was disappointed and disgusted (I'd said that in an earlier e-mail in this thread) that their own "Legal Department" found it too tricky to deal with and that they had to publish an article that was out and out to sell mirrors (and frighten the readers into doing so).

Cheers

Peter

Reply to
puffernutter

Me too. They're just the same with LPG and Calor. Right up their arses they are.

Reply to
hugh

Think of all the revenue they get from THOSE TWO ADVERTISERS

Me I'm not Cynical !!

back to lurking / learning mode now

DieSea

Reply to
DieSea

Fine, I'll go back to sleep.

Yes E11 in boxes or circles. That strikes me as a bit stupid, the plastic housing is just that a housing who is to say the functional bit (the mirror) is still to the OEM spec that met the E marking?

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

The e11 or E11 in boxes are the E-marks. You should also see a II (class II) or III (class III) outside but near the boxes.

Yes, the mirror part does seem to hang in there without any tie to the housing. I also thought that strange. The housing, of course, has requirements to meet, too!

And there's one thing that I have yet to work out is how an add-on 'towing' mirror can be given a 'class' as the tests specify the position of the mirror. In many respects most of the dimensions relate to the driver's seat and it's position in a specified vehicle. If the vehicle is unknown - as befits an add-on - it all gets very grey.

Some day I might try to understand it.

Reply to
Dougal

On or around Wed, 07 May 2008 23:33:54 +0100, Dougal enlightened us thusly:

the housing is what holds the mirror to the vehicle, hopefully steady enough that it's of some use.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Well if you succeed come and explain it to the rest of us.

Reply to
hugh

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