Going through a red light on a tow rope?

[thatcrazydan]

what would happen if I’m being towed by another car and the person towing me goes through an amber light but my car goes through a red light?

What’s the law on this? Does the tow count as one vehicle, or would it be an offence?? Surely it would be unsafe to brake hard while towing like this

[DoubleSix]

Is it half term already?

[Blackpuddin]

Don't know the answer but love the question.

[hullbridgehenry]

Could depend on the length of the tow rope.

[QBee]

I would have thought that the logical defence is the same one horse trailer towers use - "the light went yellow as I was very close to it and it would have been dangerous to stop".
Slamming your brakes on with half a tonne of live horse in the back is not to be recommended, it will terrify the horse and could even kill or injure it.
The same would apply if you had another car on a tow rope 6-20 feet behind - too likely to cause a crash and possible injury to the person steering the car behind.

[Pica-Pica]

Advice here:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/...

(Maximum distance between the vehicles must be no more than 4.5 metres)

Of course PH logic says that in order to avoid a ‘red-light’ fine; drive up to the lights, and if green, just stop at the stop line so you are at the head of the queue. Proceed when green.

[Jap90s]

It's exactly the same as if you were driving a lorry

[jeremyh1]

you could probably come up with 50 different scenarios by tea time but who the hell cares when it wont even happen to anybody here

[Granadier]

I haven't seen anyone being towed with a rope for years. It used to be quite common when I started driving 30 years ago and was a handy way to get out of trouble after a breakdown. I thought maybe it was one of those practices that are now less accepted by the authorities for safety reasons.

[MikeB444]

Granadier said:

I haven't seen anyone being towed with a rope for years. It used to be quite common when I started driving 30 years ago and was a handy way to get out of trouble after a breakdown. I thought maybe it was one of those practices that are now less accepted by the authorities for safety reasons.

Exactly what I thought when I saw one Transit towing another today!
It's definitely a rare sight and must be pretty hairy being towed behind a van...not many sight lines there.

[QBee]

Back in 1974 I got towed for about 4 miles around Pisa on a Sunday morning at about 40 mph on an 8 foot two rope.
The smoke was pouring off all four brakes by the time we stopped, as I never took my foot off the pedal the entire journey.
The driver towing me was the Auto Club d'Italia.....their version of the AA.

It did end better - I had the spares pulley and gasket with me, just not the right tools, but at age 21 I was able to show the garage guy how to get the nut off the end of the Mini crankshaft to change the pulley.....and he helped me on his day of rest with good grace.

[mac96]

Granadier said:

I haven't seen anyone being towed with a rope for years. It used to be quite common when I started driving 30 years ago and was a handy way to get out of trouble after a breakdown. I thought maybe it was one of those practices that are now less accepted by the authorities for safety reasons.

I think we have all become more risk averse. Around about 1975 I was rowed on a rope behind a car from Porthmadog to Birkenhead- about 80 miles, lots
hills and bends- with no stops. To add to the pressure, car in front was my Dad's so I really did not want to run into it.

Of course it was safer then than now, as cars mainly did not have power brakes or steering (or steering locks!) but I cannot imagine wanting to be rope towed even 5 miles now

[Foss62]

mac96 said:

Granadier said:

I haven't seen anyone being towed with a rope for years. It used to be quite common when I started driving 30 years ago and was a handy way to get out of trouble after a breakdown. I thought maybe it was one of those practices that are now less accepted by the authorities for safety reasons.

I think we have all become more risk averse. Around about 1975 I was rowed on a rope behind a car from Porthmadog to Birkenhead- about 80 miles, lots
hills and bends- with no stops. To add to the pressure, car in front was my Dad's so I really did not want to run into it.

Of course it was safer then than now, as cars mainly did not have power brakes or steering (or steering locks!) but I cannot imagine wanting to be rope towed even 5 miles now

Early 80s I found myself in a Fiesta being towed by a Beetle. I had been a passenger in the Beetle and our acquaintance had broken down and wanted a tow home. I was designated to drive the Fiesta so its owner could navigate the Beetle driver. Probably not more than 40 miles or so but it was one of those freezing nights that were common in the 80s. I was initially concerned about the lack of lights, but the lack of heat was a much more serious problem. When we finally arrived, the other two seemed mystified by my ‘distress’.

[SlimJim16v]

If possible, the towed car should be doing most of the braking.

[Beetnik]

QBee said:

I would have thought that the logical defence is the same one horse trailer towers use - "the light went yellow as I was very close to it and it would have been dangerous to stop".
Slamming your brakes on with half a tonne of live horse in the back is not to be recommended, it will terrify the horse and could even kill or injure it.
The same would apply if you had another car on a tow rope 6-20 feet behind - too likely to cause a crash and possible injury to the person steering the car behind.

If you had a car--rope---horse-trailer---rope---car combo I think you'd have bigger things to worry about

[Alan16ac]

Granadier said:

I haven't seen anyone being towed with a rope for years. It used to be quite common when I started driving 30 years ago and was a handy way to get out of trouble after a breakdown. I thought maybe it was one of those practices that are now less accepted by the authorities for safety reasons.

Hadn't even thought about it, but now I am, it's been well over 10 years since I saw anyone being towed with a rope too! Do cars break down lows these days? Or do people just not do that anymore I wonder...

[Foss62]

Alan16ac said:

Granadier said:

I haven't seen anyone being towed with a rope for years. It used to be quite common when I started driving 30 years ago and was a handy way to get out of trouble after a breakdown. I thought maybe it was one of those practices that are now less accepted by the authorities for safety reasons.

Hadn't even thought about it, but now I am, it's been well over 10 years since I saw anyone being towed with a rope too! Do cars break down lows these days? Or do people just not do that anymore I wonder...

Towing also used to be an alternative to push starting - that being something else I haven’t seen in a long while.

[Pica-Pica]

The last ‘slack tow’ was fairly recently, with a nylon tow-strap sort of thing. I’m sure the big recovery services won’t tow, local garages may do so, some cars (autos) can only be flat-bedded.

[Allegro_Snapon]

jeremyh1 said:

you could probably come up with 50 different scenarios by tea time but who the hell cares when it wont even happen to anybody here

There was a post on Barryboys about 20 years ago where somebody towing another car with ratchet strap pulled slowly onto a roundabout, a car coming round the roundabout at speed went to turn off at the next exit and managed to head on hit the tautening tow rope between the tow-er and towee. Nett effect, tow-er brought to stop, car going round roundabout slewed sideways RHS into boot of tow-er, tightened ratchet strap round front of car going round roundabout dragged towee into the LHS of that car. OP on the post was the tow-er. His insurance settled the other two cars against him and he lost his NCB and excess.

[Oceanrower]

Foss62 said:

Towing also used to be an alternative to push starting - that being something else I haven’t seen in a long while.

Don’t tell anyone but…

Only a few weeks ago I got a bump start by being towed. A nice chap in a Porsche tow-bumped my Triumph Bonneville.

Not sure towing a motorbike is recommended but it worked!