If the vehicle breaks down on the road or runs out of fuel, it may need to be towed. Towing procedure Vehicle governed by the Rules road traffic(Section 20 of the SDA, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 23.10.1993 N 1090).
This consultation does not cover the towing rules for all, but only for motor vehicles.
Reference. Power-driven vehicle
Power-driven vehicle is a vehicle driven by an engine. The term also applies to any tractors and self-propelled machines ( p. 1.2 SDA).
Requirements for the driver of a towing vehicle
When towing, the towing vehicle must be driven by a driver who has the right to drive vehicles for at least two years (clause 20.2 (1) of the SDA).
Hitch types for towing a power-driven vehicle
A power-driven vehicle can be towed on a rigid or flexible coupling.
A rigid hitch when towing is the safest and most comfortable. With it, both vehicles are connected to each other by a special device with increased rigidity. It can be a triangle, a metal rod, or a trapezoid with lugs.
A flexible hitch is a connection between vehicles with a rope band or cable. Flags or shields (at least two) measuring 200 x 200 mm with alternating red and white stripes with a retroreflective surface (50 mm wide) located diagonally must be tied on a cable or tape every meter (clause 9 of the Basic Provisions, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 23.10.1993 N 1090).
The presence of a driver behind the wheel of a towed power-driven vehicle
When towing a power-driven vehicle with a flexible or rigid coupling, the driver must always be behind the wheel of the towed vehicle. There is an exception to this rule: if the design of the rigid hitch can ensure that the vehicle follows the trajectory of the towing vehicle when straight motion, then there is no need for the driver to be behind the wheel of the towed vehicle (clause 20.1 of the SDA).
Alarm and parking lights on a towed power-driven vehicle
When towed in a towed vehicle, the alarm(clause 7.1 of the SDA), and if it is faulty or absent, an emergency stop sign must be attached to its back (clause 7.3 of the SDA).
In the dark, as well as in conditions of insufficient visibility (regardless of road lighting), as well as in tunnels on a towed power-driven vehicle, parking lights must be turned on (clause 19.1 of the SDA).
Maximum permissible speed towing movements
The maximum permissible speed on any road when towing a power-driven vehicle is 50 km / h (clause 10.4 of the SDA).
Availability of passengers
If a bus, truck or trolleybus is being towed, passengers are prohibited from being in it. In this case, it is allowed to find people in the cab. truck mobile, but not in the back. When towing by the method partial loading no people are allowed in the body or cab of the towed power-driven vehicle, as well as in the body of the tractor. If a passenger car is being towed on a hitch, passengers are allowed to be in it (clause 20.2 of the SDA).
Distance between vehicles
The distance between the tractor and the towed vehicle must be (clause 20.3 of the SDA):
- with a flexible hitch - from 4 to 6 m;
- with a rigid hitch - no more than 4 m.
If the distance is too small, the driver of the towed vehicle will be deprived of vision, if too large, a strong deviation of the trajectory of the towed vehicle from the trajectory of the tractor is possible.
Prohibition of towing
Towing a vehicle is prohibited (clauses 20.4, 24.9 of the SDA; Section 3 of Appendix N 1 to the SDA):
- if the vehicle does not work steering(except for cases of towing by the partial loading method);
- simultaneous towing of several vehicles is planned;
- the vehicle does not have a braking system and the actual mass of the towed vehicle exceeds half of the actual mass of the towing vehicle. With a lower actual mass, towing of such vehicles is allowed only on a rigid hitch or by partial loading.
Note. Systems that do not allow the driver to stop the vehicle or make a maneuver while driving even at a minimum speed are considered inoperative;
- there is ice on the street and a flexible hitch is used;
- a tractor or towed vehicle is a two-wheeled motorcycle without a side trailer;
- a tractor or a towed vehicle is a moped, except for the cases of towing a trailer intended for operation with a moped;
- within the coverage area of sign 3.7 "Traffic with a trailer is prohibited".
Note!
Violation of the towing rules entails a warning or a fine of RUB 500. ( h. 1 tbsp. 12.21 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation).
In the event of a malfunction of vehicles, as a result of which independent movement becomes impossible, towing is used to transport the car. At the moment, the current traffic rules determine the rules for towing a car, indicating directly the rules for implementation, malfunctions in which it is prohibited to perform it, as well as the features of transportation in this way different types Vehicle.
The rules strictly prohibit the following actions:
- Towing vehicles in winter on ice. In such situations, it is quite difficult to drive a vehicle and towing can provoke an accident;
- A faulty vehicle, in which the nature of violations is expressed in a malfunction of the steering. In contrast, towing a vehicle with an inoperative engine is allowed;
- It is forbidden to tow a motorcycle without a sidecar. This limitation due to the fact that it does not have sufficient stability, therefore, faulty motorcycles are usually transported in car bodies;
- It is forbidden to transport more than one vehicle;
- It is forbidden to exceed the established maximum speed with which the towing vehicle can move. This speed when towing is 50 km / h and does not change even when moving on those sections of the road where it is allowed to go faster. Thus, towing on the motorway should be carried out in the speed range from 40 to 50 km / h;
- Towing a trailer passenger car is prohibited without special devices that will allow it to follow the trajectory of the towing vehicle.
Rules and nuances
Traffic rules impose requirements for safety designation when towing a vehicle. The towing vehicle must include dipped headlights; the towed vehicle must have an emergency light on.
Towing trucks should be performed when:
- the towing vehicle must, in terms of its mass, exceed the mass of the towed vehicle at least 2 times.
- drivers are required to move in and out of the extreme right lane only when it is required to make a turn onto another road.
Violation of the rules entails the imposition of a fine in the amount of 500 rubles, moreover, as on the driver who tows the car, and the one that controls the towed one.
Flexible towing
When using a flexible hitch, you should know that it is the most dangerous in terms of possible collisions of a car. However, it is used most often within our country. In this case, you should adhere to the following rules:
- With the help of special fasteners, the halyard is attached to one car and to another;
- A driver must be behind the wheel of a vehicle that will be towed;
- The gap between vehicles should be in the range of 4 to 6 meters;
- In the event that a truck, bus or other non-passenger vehicle is being transported, it is forbidden to carry passengers on them - only the driver can be in the vehicle.
Rigid hitch involves the coupling of two machines using fixed mountings, which are mainly made of metal. This method is rarely used on the territory of our country, since such a design is rarely at hand. The main points that must be observed in this case are the following:
- The vehicle that is being towed must be driven by the driver;
- Carriage of passengers in a vehicle that undergoes such transportation is prohibited;
- The maximum distance that can be between two cars is 4 meters - exceeding this indicator is a violation and poses a danger to participants in the DD.
Partial loading method
One of the towing methods is the partial loading method, which directly involves partial loading, when the front of the follower is placed on the lead vehicle, and rear wheels will touch the surface of the earth. Compared to flexible and rigid hitch transport this method is considered more difficult, since, first of all, you will need a special freight transport or a crane with which it will be possible to carry out the loading. In most cases, it is used for the transport of goods vehicles. At the same time, it is worthwhile to clearly distinguish between the full loading method - it no longer applies to towing.
With this method of transportation:
- It is forbidden to transport cars in which there will be people - this method even excludes the driver himself being in the car, since he is not required to perform any functions;
- When transporting a car, you must take into account the permissible maximum masses machines - in this case, the rule of the towed weight is two times less than the towing weight.
Many drivers believe that towing at night is prohibited due to the high risk of danger. In this case, it should be noted that no restrictions are imposed on such a time - the only point is the need to turn on the side lights.
Cars with automatic transmission
Separate moments also exist when towing cars with automatic transmission gear. So, motorists need to consider:
- Towing an all-wheel drive car is carried out only with the help of full loading. That is, in fact, they are not allowed to be towed;
- If you need to transport faulty cars over long distances the best option will use the services of a tow truck, since in the process of towing it is possible, due to overheating of the mechanisms of the car, to subsequently spend a fairly large amount on repairs;
- When towing such machines, it is imperative to monitor the temperature of the transmission - in the event that it overheats, you will need to make stops for cooling;
- The recommended speed in this case should not exceed 40 km / h - this mode is the most optimal and will not contribute to overheating of the units and their breakdown.
It is forbidden to use higher gears, while starting to move from position "2", and already when the speed rises, they subsequently switch to "L", while maintaining a smooth ride and not making sudden jerks.
Video: Towing Vehicles
To deliver vehicles with malfunctions that threaten traffic safety to the place of repair, they have to resort to towing them by other vehicles.
"Rules of the road" allow towing with the use of a flexible or rigid coupling, as well as with partial loading of the towed vehicle on a special supporting device of the towing vehicle (Fig. 54, a) or on its cargo platform (Fig. 54, b). The latter method is usually used when there is special vehicles technical assistance equipped with devices for securing the front or rear axle of a faulty vehicle in the suspended state.
During any towing the speed should not exceed 50 km / h. The speed should be selected with particular care when towing with a flexible hitch. This type of towing is dangerous in that the driver of the towed vehicle is at a relatively close distance from the towing vehicle, but his view is limited. Therefore, when the towing vehicle is forced to abruptly decelerate (and this is possible when an obstacle suddenly appears), it is difficult for the driver of the towed vehicle to stop his vehicle in time.
When towing on a rigid or flexible hitch, the towed power-driven vehicle must be driven by an appropriately qualified driver, unless the rigid hitch is designed to accurately follow the towed vehicle's track. The flexible hitch should ensure the distance between the vehicles within 4-6 m (Fig. 55, a), and the rigid hitch should be no more than 4 m (Fig. 55, b). A flexible connecting link every meter should be marked with signal boards or flags measuring 200X200 mm with red and white stripes applied diagonally on them (see Fig. 55, a) in order to improve the perception of the connecting link by pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles.
When towing with a flex hitch the towed vehicle must have serviceable brakes and steering, and when towing on a rigid hitch - steering. Naturally, with these requirements, it is impossible to tow vehicles with pneumatic brakes on a flexible hitch, since leakage and air consumption can lead to brake failure.
One more circumstance should be noted related to towing with a flexible hitch. Starting off should be smooth, without sharp tension on the link. It must be borne in mind that the rope or rope may break, and therefore, in order to avoid an accident, people should be removed from this place.
If a power-driven vehicle has faulty steering, towing it on a flexible or rigid hitch is prohibited. Such a vehicle can only be towed by partially loading it onto a cargo platform or the Special Support Device of the towing vehicle.
With all methods of towing in the dark and in other conditions of insufficient visibility on the towed vehicle, the rear red marker lights must be lit, and when towing with a flexible hitch, the front marker lights must also be lit. During daylight hours, regardless of the visibility conditions, the dipped headlights must be switched on on the towing vehicle, warning the drivers of oncoming vehicles about towing.
Towing is prohibited:
in icy conditions on a flexible hitch;
if the total length of the coupled vehicles, including the towed vehicle, exceeds 24 m;
more than one motor vehicle.
In order to ensure the transfer of vehicles, the "Rules of the Road" provide, as an exception, the simultaneous towing of two power-driven vehicles with partial loading or on a rigid coupling. The procedure for such towing is determined by the transporting organization and agreed with the local traffic police. Motorcycles without a sidecar and bicycles are not allowed to be towed or used as a tug.
Sooner or later each of you will have to be "towed" or "towed". And here it is very important to act correctly.
If you ask to be towed.
First, be prepared for the fact that not everyone is staying.
Although, of course, if a woman asks for help, then the men, as a rule, stop. But as soon as it becomes clear what needs to be towed, the knight becomes sad, lies that he does not have a towing cable, makes a helpless gesture and leaves.
Therefore, when you buy a fire extinguisher, first aid kit and warning triangle, buy a towing rope right away.
And if something goes wrong on the road, don't just vote, but hold the tow rope in your hand. Now the first one to stop will help.
Just keep in mind, if your car has an automatic transmission, then you cannot be towed in this way - destroy the automatic transmission. In this case, you have only one way out - you need to somehow get through to technical assistance and call a tow truck.
And let the towing cable (if you bought it) lie in the trunk. It will come in handy if you agree to tow someone. You cannot be towed, but you yourself can tow.
If you are asked to be towed.
Since you have agreed, then you experienced driver, we were engaged in towing several times and you know perfectly well what to do. First of all, you need to make sure that the towed vehicle has proper brakes and steering. Then you need to instruct the towed one.
First, let him remember to turn on the parking lights and hazard warning lights.
Secondly, let the cable always keep taut (both while driving and when stopping).
And, thirdly, let him remember that when the engine is off, it does not work and vacuum amplifier brakes. So you have to push the brake pedal with all your might.
After that, you can get under way, and you, as an experienced driver, know that when towing, you need to get under way, and especially braking, very, very smoothly.
Well, now directly about the content of Section 20 of the Rules.
First of all, you need to know that there are three types of towing.
The first type of towing is flexible towing.
This is not the safest method of towing, but it is also the most common.
The towing rules are permitted, but contain certain requirements and some restrictions.
The length of the towing cable must benot less than 4 meters, but not more than 6 meters.
(These numbers must be remembered - they will come in handy in life, and they will ask at the exam in the traffic police).
In this case, the cable must be equipped with at least two warning devices in the form of square flags with diagonally applied red and white stripes with a reflective surface.
Secondly, you need to know that this towing method is not always applicable:
And, of course, it is forbidden to tow a vehicle in this way if it has faulty brakes or steering control.
But there is one significant advantage in this method of towing: passengers are allowed to be not only in the cabin of the towing car, but also in the cabin of the towed car.
The second type of towing is rigid towing.
In this case, as you can imagine, the distance between the cars does not change, and they move as a whole.
This means that such towing can be done even in icy conditions, and you can even tow a vehicle with faulty brakes.
Another thing is that in the latter case, the towing vehicle will have to maintain both its own mass and the mass of the towed one with its brakes. And here, guided by security considerations, the Rules introduced a restriction:
If there is a rigid coupling, it is allowed to tow a car with an inoperative braking system, but the mass of the towed should not be more than half of the mass towing.
That is, if the brakes fail on the road, but there is a rigid coupling with you, the driver cannot ask everyone for help. In accordance with the Rules, in this case, only a vehicle whose mass is at least twice the mass of the towed vehicle can be used as a tractor.
The rules have established another restriction that drivers need to know and follow:
Distance between vehicles when towed on a rigid hitch should not exceed 4 meters .
Well, everything else is the same as when towing on a flexible hitch. That is, as before, it is prohibited to tow vehicles with faulty steering control and it is allowed to find passengers in the passenger compartment of a towed car.
The third type is towing by the partial loading method.
One of the types of such towing is a method in which the towing vehicle is equipped with a special device that allows you to hang out either the front or rear axle towed vehicle.
With this method, it is allowed to tow a car with any malfunction, including with a faulty braking system, and with faulty steering. But!
Finding people (including the driver) in the passenger compartment of the towed vehicle is prohibited! Well, of course, the mass of the towing vehicle must be at least twice the mass of the towed vehicle.
Finally, if the entire vehicle is loaded onto the tractor platform, this is no longer called towing.
It is calledtransportation car.
Finally, a few words about towing motorcycles.
If the motorcycle is a tricycle, it can be used both as towing and towing. But towing two-wheeled motorcycles is prohibited! For the simple reason that they behave unstable at low speeds.
They say that you should not think about the bad, but you should always be ready for this bad. This is especially true for drivers, because driving a car is an activity that carries a fairly high degree of risk. And if the car is capricious, and the breakdown that happened does not allow you to get to the nearest service station on your own, then a tug in the person of a motorist brother will come to your aid.
If we consider the issue of towing from the point of view of complexity, then this is not the easiest task, but also not the most difficult. However, there are always nuances that can ruin the situation. And in order not to spill the tea of surprise on the keyboard of the regularity of your life, we invite you to learn the basic rules of towing a car.
First, calculate your strength
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There are three types of towing: rigid towing, flexible towing, partial loading and full loading. In this article we will look at the rules related to the first two types of towing, because they can cause certain difficulties for inexperienced drivers.
Flexible solution of the hitch of the same name
Let's simulate the situation right away, taking as a basis the worst case scenario - towing a car with an inoperative engine. In this case, the drivers of vehicles, towed and towed, should as clearly as possible agree on their further movements, because an accident is a predator that loves to feast on the participants in towing.
Distance between vehicles when towing on a rigid hitch
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The driver of the towed car should be especially careful, because in the event of an accident, as a rule, he will be the culprit.
Do not forget that the brakes and steering boosters do not work on a towed vehicle with the engine turned off, which makes driving much more difficult.
If you do not have a rigid hitch at your disposal, then you can use a tow rope, the length of which should be 4-6 meters. Both too long and too short a cable is bad, because if the distance between cars is less than 4 meters, then the automatic ones increase the likelihood of a collision, and if the grip is too long, it will significantly complicate cornering maneuvers.
Distance between vehicles when towing on a flexible hitch
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The towing cable must only be secured in the places that are intended for this. Never rely on your bumper or tie rods to withstand such a test. In addition, a "tie", as drivers call a towing cable, must be equipped with red flags, placing them a meter apart. You are unlikely to find in the store models of cables with flags, therefore, the fastest way, you will need to take care of this yourself.
Modern towing ropes began to be equipped with flags
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If you decide to ignore this rule, remember that the tow rope can get dirty and will not be visible at night. Other drivers will definitely try to squeeze between the towing vehicle and the vehicle being towed, and this can turn into big trouble.
Lights when towing
The driver of the towed vehicle must insert the key into the ignition switch before moving off. Otherwise wheel during towing, it can be blocked, and then an accident cannot be avoided. The gear lever must be in the neutral position.
Try to keep the tow rope from sagging
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Before starting the movement, turn on the "emergency light", but if it is faulty, make sure that an emergency stop sign is attached to the rear of the car. If you are "dragged" in the dark or in a tunnel, then turn on the side lights. But the towing car, according to traffic rules, must turn on the dipped beam.
Many drivers of towing vehicles also include emergency lights. There is a certain reason for this, but it is still not worth doing this. This is because it can confuse other road users who may not see signals that indicate an intention to re-lane or make a turn.
Movement while towing
If you are driving a towing car, then remember that you need to get under way as smoothly as possible, without sudden accelerations and jerks. It is also necessary to slowly carry out rebuilding and braking.
The tow rope must be secured to special devices
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The traffic rules clearly stipulate maximum speed towing movement - no more than 50 km / h. If you are a literal expert, you can “devour” this letter of the law, but we still advise you not to reach speeds higher than 35-40 km / h. As they say, God writes out an insurance policy for those who are careful. Plus, towing isn't the Monaco Grand Prix.
During the movement, the driver of the tug should change gears as quickly as possible and smoothly use the clutch to avoid jerking and sagging of the tow rope. In this case, the engine must run at increased speed.
In the process of towing, the load on the engine and gearbox increases significantly, therefore the tug driver needs to be extremely careful about how much the coolant has heated up.
The most important task of the driver of the towed vehicle is to keep the cable taut at all times. This is achieved by continuous braking.
It is better to tow cars with automatic transmission by the method of full or partial loading.
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When towing is prohibited
There are situations when traffic rules prohibit towing, and there are times when it is better to refuse it voluntarily due to the circumstances.
Towing is prohibited if:
● there is a sign "Traffic with a trailer is prohibited", which applies to towed cars;
● the actual weight of the towed vehicle is 50% more than the weight of the tug;
● the towed vehicle has a faulty steering (in this case, towing by the method of partial or full load);
● the distance between vehicles on a rigid hitch is more than 4 meters;
● the distance between vehicles on a flexible hitch is less than 4 meters and more than 6 meters;
● towing is prohibited on ice.
Experience shows that traffic police officers are very rarely punished for such violations, but still do not forget that all the rules of the road were once written in the blood of those who have been in an accident. That is why compliance with them is primarily your interest.
It is undesirable to tow a car with an automatic transmission, because the "automatic" does not like this very much and can easily fail. If you have no other choice, then adhere to the "50 to 50" rule - tow the car at a distance of no more than 50 km and at a speed not exceeding 50 km / h.
We wish you never to be in the place of the towed one, but at the same time never refuse to be in the role of the towing one, because tomorrow you may need help already.
