Towing a load such as a caravan

When you tow a vehicle such as a caravan, it is clearly the case that driving conditions will be very different, and much more so again than simply having a heavier load or having a roof rack fitted.

For this reason many driving schools would now recommend that you attend a training course on towing such a load before attempting to do so on the roads - for your own safety and also that of your fellow road users.

There are training courses that will cover the sorts of things you will need to know such as how to load safety, and how to adjust your driving methodology to cope with the considerable differences that come with driving with a caravan or trailer being towed behind the car.

You will need to particularly practice things like manoeuvring in a small space, like for instance will be required when parking. Don't put the pressure on yourself to do this for the first time when you are in a tight space with lots of people watching! Drive you a quiet place such as a car park and practice reversing and parking into a space where there is no danger of taking out another car if you misjudge it the first couple of times.

As with everything, practice makes perfect, so take the time to practice the finer manoeuvres before doing a proper journey. There are a range of checks that you should perform before moving off with a load to ensure that it is correctly hitched up and so on: you should consult the details and instructions provided with your trailer or caravan on how to connect it and the checks that you should perform before setting off on a journey.

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