The UK Department for Transport classifies a car on a suitable A-frame with appropriate braking and lighting system as a trailer for UK law.*
Therefore a tow car is classified as a trailer and must comply with European trailer legislation including UNECE Regulation 55 for couplings, UNECE Regulation 13 for braking and Statutory Instruments Road Vehicle Lighting Regulation 1989 No.1796 and its amending directives for lighting requirements. UNECE Regulation 13 was effective from November 2014.
Many non UK countries have local laws that state you may not tow a motor vehicle with another motor vehicle unless it is an authorised recovery vehicle, to avoid inappropriate towing practices.
With a vehicle and suitable A frame system you will not be towing another motor vehicle. You will be towing a trailer as defined by the UK Department for Transport.
TowAFrame System complies with all European trailer legislation. The vehicle is identified as a trailer by:
- Reflective triangles mounted at the rear of the trailer unit.
- The towing vehicles number plate displayed at the rear of the trailer unit.
- The brakes operating when braking is required and meeting or exceeding braking requirements for trailers.
- The lights mirror that of the towing vehicle and comply with all current trailer lighting regulations
- Local laws (Not European Laws) apply if you are a resident abroad or have a car registered abroad HOWEVER as a UK visitor to those countries in a UK registered vehicle – the legislation that applies is still UK legislation as the vehicle is deemed as being in international traffic.
- No member state has the power to reclassify a vehicle travelling from another state. As a visitor from another state you are legally deemed to be in international traffic as defined in the Vienna convention on Road Traffic 1968.
- Local police officers may not be familiar with international traffic law, they are more familiar with their local laws, and as such it is possible you may get stopped. We provide translated documents in multiple languages explaining what you are towing – how the system works and its legality as defined by UK law.