Innehållsförteckning för GO! Drive & Camp: Towing Licence från Go! Drive & Camp

Iam on the wrong side of 40 and got my driver’s licence more than 20 years ago after taking local traffic cop Barber Botha for a 20-minute drive through the streets of Parys in the Free State. Beforehand, I’d passed the yard test quite effortlessly in my silver Mazda 323. It was honestly not that difficult to parallel park with the ‘Silver Flame’. And from that day on, I was legally on the road with my code 8 driver’s licence. And I could legally tow a caravan with it, too. Shortly before the new millennium, the authorities changed to card driver’s licences and new codes and I automatically got a code EB licence, which meant I could still legally tow. However, if you were born after 1980 and you did…

So, you’ve made the effort to at least download the K53 app and have been learning the dos and don’ts of road regulations. You’ve obtained your learner’s licence and now all that remains is for you to go and pass out. Here’s the catch: you have to do this through a driving school. It’s not just that they teach you the important sequences of using the controls while you’re behind the wheel but also the starting sequences, interior and exterior inspections and a whole bunch of other information that’s vital to making you a safe and competent driver. The thing is, as much as we’d like to believe corruption is being rooted out of our system, it seems the system is constructed in such a way that would require someone,…

The reflective road markers we call “cat eyes” were patented in 1934 by a Briton named Percy Shaw. There are several stories about how he came up with this brilliant plan, but the most likely version is a combination of two stories: Shaw apparently used the polished tram tracks in his hometown to distinguish the lanes on the road at night. However, when he lost his way one night, he saw the reflection of a cat’s eyes sitting on a pole next to the road and this helped him to find his way again. Either way, these guys help keep you in your lane when fog, darkness or a wet surface make it difficult to see the painted lines on the road. ON SOUTH AFRICAN ROADS, CAT EYES HAVE THREE…

Get these basic concepts down pat for a safer start to your journey. Tare. The mass of a vehicle without cargo (the weight on which licence fees are based). GVM. The gross vehicle mass is the maximum that a vehicle may weigh – including its load, fuel, passengers and anything else that it transports. You’ll usually find the GVM indicated on a plate on the A-frame of your caravan or trailer. GCM. The gross combination mass is the sum of the weight of the vehicle and whatever it is towing – that is, the legal combined mass. Vehicle and caravan weight. Legally, the GVM of your trailer or caravan may not exceed the tare of your towing vehicle. Experts recommend a minimum difference of 20% less. Axle mass. On the…

Your buddy Dave reckons you can tow a Sprite Splash with a Code 10 heavy vehicle driver’s licence. The oke at the driving school says that if you have the new C1 driver’s licence, Bob’s your uncle. Then you run into Harry from the traffic office at Spar and he’s pretty sure your C1 driver’s licence should do the trick – he was told that some time in the future, you will in fact be able to tow with it. It’s not exactly what you wanted to hear, and now you’re in two minds again. You decide to go with what Harry and the guy from the driving school said. After all, you know you’re a good driver and you don’t want to start from scratch again, get a learner’s driver’s…

The testing officer starts the test by asking you to do an expection of the exterior of your vehicle. START AT THE DRIVER’S DOOR 1 Check the right-hand mirror for damage. Also check the mirror’s cleanliness and stability. 2 Check the front right wheel – the tread depth, sidewall damage, wheel nuts and tyre pressure. Also make sure the valve cap is tightly fastened. 3 Check for damage to the windscreen and make sure it is clean and nothing is obstructing your view. 4 Check the windscreen wiper blade on the right for damage and stability. Leave them extended if possible. PROCEED TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR 5 Check under the vehicle for leaks and obstructions. 6 Tell the examiner that you have already checked under the bonnet for…

If you drive a vehicle, it means you’ve passed a driver’s licence test that required you to know road signs. But there are a few lesser known signs, rules and information signs. If you know how to read these signs, it’ll save you lots of money and prevent damage – and spare you from a few family fights along the way. IT’S A MILESTONE! Signs indicating distance and direction have come a long way. Just more than 2 000 years ago the Romans placed round stone pillars next to the road to show travellers how far from Rome they were and in which direction the city lay. The pillars were supposedly planted at intervals of one mile (that is 1,6 km). But all roads no longer lead to Rome, and…

In primary school we learnt that one must stop at a red light and proceed when it turned green, but there are several lesser-known – and sometimes weird – traffic rules you may not know about. WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? What’s your number? A number plate must be properly fastened to your vehicle, front and rear. There are special regulations for vehicles registered for the first time after July 2011. Fines differ between regions, but you can expect around R500 if one of your number plates are missing. If you drive without number plates, you can be arrested on the spot. (Regulation 35) Licence front left. You must stick the licence disc on the bottom left side of the windscreen where it can be easily read from the outside.…

Statistically speaking, South African drivers unfortunately do not have the best track record when it comes to road safety. To be blunt, it is particularly bad. We have the highest number of road deaths per 100 000 people, and to make matters worse, a study by Discovery Insure showed your chances of being involved in an accident are highest when you travel long distances by car during the holidays. HOLIDAYMAKERS SUFFER In Discovery’s study the behaviour of motorists travelling long distances during the holidays is compared to that of those commuting in cities daily. It seems drivers travelling during holidays are more impatient, because speed infringements increase by 26% during this time. More people also tend to drive at night during this time, because this number also increases by 5,5%.…

There are videos on YouTube showing how swaying caravans get so badly out of control that they not only topple over, but cause their towing vehicles to crash, too. It’s one thing if there are no injuries or loss of life, but the news archives are filled with stories about holidays ending tragically due to incidents like these. go! Drive & Camp readers who narrowly escaped swaying accidents report that you really don’t want to be in a towing vehicle when a caravan starts to sway uncontrollably. Johan Naudé from Newcastle wrote on on our Facebook page: “It is terrifying… your towing vehicle is yanked around and the rear wheels lift up.” Jan Kruger from Mossel Bay says he was once en route to the Kruger National Park when he…

When you ride a bicyle, it may be best to keep a beady eye on the road ahead, but when you’re towing a tonne behind you, you need to see what’s happening both in front and behind you. During the K53 test, you have to regularly look into the mirrors. With a large caravan or trailer of any kind, your rear-view mirror is virtually useless and your side mirrors are of little value without towing mirrors. THIS IS A MUST Currently, new vehicles must meet a specific standard of the SABS as far as rear-view mirrors are concerned. This applies to both interior and exterior mirrors. The standard is not specific in respect of the size of the mirrors. It becomes a technical point since it is rather about what…

First of all, you’re going to have to check your existing driver’s licence code. If you don’t know where this is, it’s right in the middle of your card alongside the word “code”. If you’re under the age of 40, the chances are high that when you passed it was for a Code B licence, which enables you to drive a light motor vehicle legally and tow a trailer with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) not exceeding 750 kg. But most caravans have a GVM higher than that, and an EB licence means that you are legally allowed tow an articulated vehicle or a rigid vehicle and trailer up to a gross combination mass (GCM) of 3 500 kg, which would be the added-up maximum of most SUVs and bakkies…

The traffic official will tell you to get in your vehicle for the interior inspection. For this test, the examiner can be either with you in the vehicle or outside. It doesn’t matter. 1 Check for loose objects at the pedals and in your foothold. 2 Mention that you have adjusted your seat to be able to have full control over the vehicle. 3 Check that the rear-view mirrors are adjusted to give you a good view of the road and traffic behind you. 4 Mention that the hand brake is engaged. 5 Mention that the vehicle is in neutral. 6 Mention that all the doors of your vehicle are closed. IGNITION PROCEDURE After completing the yard test, the examiner will ask you to stop and switch off the engine…

Everybody knows that when you say “Break a leg,” you don’t mean it literally. And every caravanner knows that the more torque your vehicle produces, the better its towing capability will be. If you want to know exactly how hot or cold it is outside, you use a thermometer, so if you want to know how much torque your vehicle can generate, you have to know how many Newton meters it delivers. Newton meter is a standard unit used to measure torque. The formula states that torque is equal to 1 N being exercised at a right angle on an arm of 1m in length. You cannot simply use an engine’s capacity as a yardstick. There are 1,6 litre engines that put certain 2,5 litres ones to shame, and diesel…

It’s been a while since there has been such a complex subject in the towing world as the one concerning towing weight and driver’s licences. After we published an article in our magazine about what you should be prepared for at the weighbridge – and what to do if you’re overweight – we were inundated with queries. It seems every answer leads to another question. People are confused and angry about the situation and their feeling of helplessness. The good news is you can do something about this yourself. PUT THAT FINGER AWAY The information on your trailer’s disc differs from what your trailer weighs. The tare weight is heavier than what the weighbridge says and according to the gross vehicle mass (GVM) you’re overweight if you pack anything more…

TOWING SPEED AND DISTANCE SCENARIO 1 – EMERGENCY STOP ON A LEVEL STRETCH OF TARRED ROAD Gently applying brakes intermittently and gearing down carefully must surely be the safest way to bring a towing combination to a halt. It prevents the caravan from jack-knifing. However, when a kudu suddenly appears out of the blue or if that lorry that has just overtaken you loses its load, there’s nothing you can do but hit the brakes. If the towing combination is moving along on a straight and level road at 120 km/h and you have to stop unexpectedly, it will take 6 seconds (including the 0,8 second reaction time) to come to a complete halt over a distance of 113 m. This implies that the wheels of the bakkie keep rolling…