Government proposals to allow drivers to tow a trailer without taking an additional test could lead to more accidents. That’s the view of road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which is alarmed by the possible changes.
The proposals form part of the DVSA’s current public consultation. This includes measures aimed at getting more heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers onto the roads – and speeding up the licensing process.
However, IAM RoadSmart says safety should not be compromised to alleviate the current HGV driver shortage.
Staycation situation
At present, those who passed their driving test after 1 January 1997 can drive a vehicle up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM), towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM. Removing the additional test is seen by the DVSA as a way to free up time for examiners.
The boom in staycation holidays, and the demand for caravans, has seen the number of trailer tests swell significantly. DVSA figures show 30,000 tests are now conducted annually, a number that could increase further in the aftermath of the Covid crisis.
Trailer training would remain a DVSA recommendation, but the consultation suggests this would not be a mandatory requirement.
‘People need training‘
IAM RoadSmart believes that losing the licence test would reduce the likelihood of drivers taking additional training before towing. This could mean they lose vital instruction on safe towing, and how to handle emergency situations such as a trailer or caravan ‘snaking’.
Neil Greig of IAM RoadSmart said: “If a test is no longer a requirement, this raises some serious safety concerns, especially at this busy holiday time. We are very concerned the decision will exacerbate an existing safety situation as currently, as per DVSA’s own safety checks, up to one in six caravans they stopped had a serious safety issue, while four in 10 small trailers were also found with serious safety issues.
“Many of these could have been avoided by better training and awareness of towing safety best practice. The DSA had a clear safety reason for introducing the test in 1997, and these reasons are still valid. People need proper training to be able to drive an articulated vehicle, particularly when they are doing so for the first time.”
Earlier this week, the British Medical Association (BMA) expressed concern about rushing medical tests to speed-up HGV driver licencing.
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