Some muppet with extra wide towing mirrors recently smashed the mirror on my DS, wife was driving, she pulled over on a narrow lake district lane upon meeting the caravan, but the vaning muppet just ploughed on and took off his mirror and mine.
Hes claiming its knock for knock on the insurance I wasnt there to sort thing out, wife had a car full of children so things arnt easy

whats the legal allowance width of extra wide towing mirrors?? At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

knock for knock... that would depend on if he has heated, folding mirrors with puddle lamps and blind spot indicator and with big plastic covers or if he has a basic manual old skool mirror.

if she got his reg no and insurance details then put a claim in, if she was stationary its his fault.

as for the legal width allowed, god only knows! as vans get bigger so do the blind spots.

For comparison (and I guess you would know CG) tractors are only supposed to be a standard lane width maximum IIRC but how many of them now take up 3/4 of a 2 way road ?

As above... Surely it not knock for knock if your car wasn't even moving  If it wasn't so bad it'd be funny.

🐑
Freelander 2 HSE auto 2014 ( Florrie ) ..... Try again.
Freelander 2 GS 2012...... Gone.

From Gov website:https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

"Width and length

The maximum trailer width for any towing vehicle is 2.55 metres."

Same website says:

"Towing mirrors

You must have an adequate view of the road behind you.

Fit suitable towing mirrors if your trailer or caravan is wider than the rear of your car.

You can be fined up to £1,000 and get 3 penalty points for towing without proper towing mirrors."

Doesnt give width of mirrors but if visibility required both sides would expect 3 metres required. As this is not stated, be an interesting debate with insurance. Andy
Freelander2 HSE (59 Plate, MY10 spec)

If your wife was stationary then he’s at fault. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

andyk159 wrote:

From Gov website:https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

"Width and length

The maximum trailer width for any towing vehicle is 2.55 metres."

Same website says:

"Towing mirrors

You must have an adequate view of the road behind you.

Fit suitable towing mirrors if your trailer or caravan is wider than the rear of your car.

You can be fined up to £1,000 and get 3 penalty points for towing without proper towing mirrors."

Doesnt give width of mirrors but if visibility required both sides would expect 3 metres required. As this is not stated, be an interesting debate with insurance.

This happens so often especially when the muppet is not towing a shed on wheels and has left the over wide mirrors on. What do they want the wide mirrors for anyway as most of them don't use the mirrors when driving and say that they need them when reversing the shed into place. So why not put them on only when reversing?

The best way to deal with this menace is to ban caravans on the road.

J

edited for typo

If extension mirrors were on and not towing, that is an offence so would be liable. Andy
Freelander2 HSE (59 Plate, MY10 spec)

a sane person would say his at fault, as she was stationery, but without video evidence, who can say she was

insurance company will look at easy option, 50:50 as it will cost them more to argue the case with the others insurance company Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Actually, there IS a legal limit to how far the "towing" mirrors are permitted to be wider than the trailer. According to The Caravan Club:-

"mirrors should not project too far beyond the overall width of the caravan – 20cm or 25cm, depending on when there were designed."
 Everyone can spread it - Anyone can catch it. Stay home - the life you save can be your own!

Muppet is saying my wife never stopped, this is where a dash cam may of helped,

4 boys in car 2 not ours, just glad no glass broke

Wife says the vaner was a particularly unpleasant type.

All in all its not a huge event, just an accidsnt.. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Any dashcam fitted?

From what I am reading I suspect the other driver was a member of a different type of caravanner who does not join The Caravan Club or The Camping and Caravanning Club as they feel entitled to do what they want.

For a long time now, when encountering a "squeeze past" scenario I actually pull out a bit so that passing is not possible until after other vehicle has come to a halt. Similarly, those "Road Narrows" signs with a plaque about "Oncoming vehicles in middle of road" - I recon I might as well be that oncoming vehicle. Everyone can spread it - Anyone can catch it. Stay home - the life you save can be your own!

Dashcam an essential nowadays.

Mine got me full refund of my excess and additional expenses when a motorhome smashed all windows down side of my caravan (sorry CG) with his mirror.
Footage showed he was well over unbroken white line on narrow bridge.
Insurance got all their costs back as well. Andy
Freelander2 HSE (59 Plate, MY10 spec)

My close calls quite often come from people towing 'car transport' trailers where the wheels stick out either side to give a low loading deck.

After a couple of miles they seem to forget that they have a trailer and allow the outer trailer wheels to come across the white line.

I now have front/rear dash cam fitted. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)