Has a broken-down vehicle towed or tow it yourself?

When a vehicle is no longer able to move on its own, it usually means that it has to be towed either in the direction of a garage or in the direction of a scrapyard.

To do this, there are different solutions responding to very different issues, namely having your vehicle towed by a professional or loading it yourself if the conditions are met.

Call a car towing

When a vehicle no longer starts, most road users tend to call the first breakdown service, to reassure themselves and to get their vehicle back to working order as quickly as possible.

However, before calling a car towing, broken down users should check their auto insurance policy in detail. Indeed, in very many cases, insurers offer guarantees in their contracts including, in particular, the financing of the cost of the breakdown service to the nearest garage.

These guarantees are found in most contracts but may be subject to a number of restrictions, including:

• the kilometers limit between the broken-down vehicle and the garage: in general, insurance establishments only finance the travel of breakdown vehicles for vehicles that have broken down more than 50 km from a garage
• the different types of damage and damage cover
• the amount of the excess that the user will have to pay

It is therefore extremely important for the driver to know all the details of his auto insurance before deciding which car towing to call, or if he wants to do the breakdown himself.

Perform some checks

Towing a vehicle can be complicated and dangerous. It is for this reason that the driver must absolutely carry out certain checks before choosing to tow a vehicle himself.

He must in particular check that the towing vehicle is much heavier than the towed vehicle, to avoid any incident during towing, but also to see if the vehicles are equipped with towing rings.

He must also check that he has him a driver who has received a driving license who can control the direction of the towed vehicle.

Once all these checks have been completed, the driver can connect the electrical systems of the two vehicles to allow the use of the towed vehicle warnings or a license plate with lights, then he can begin his towing.

Towing restrictions

Carrying out repairs yourself is a dangerous activity. It is for this reason that the driver of the towing vehicle must absolutely respect a number of rules, in order to circulate in accordance with the law.

The driver of a vehicle used to tow another must comply with the following obligations:

• do not drive on highways faster
• ensure that the weight of the towing vehicle is greater than that of the towed vehicle
• reduce speed to 25 km / h maximum
• limit yourself to a short trip
• make sure the two vehicles are aligned
• turn on the warnings except when changing direction, where the use of turn signals is required
• install a rotating beacon or signal lights on the towed vehicle if its lights are no longer in working order

In the event that the condition of the towed vehicle does not allow it to circulate in optimal safety conditions, the user must then call on the services of a professional like BK Towing in Randburg to allow the evacuation of the vehicle.

While this method of towing may seem more economical than calling in a conventional repairman, towing a vehicle yourself is not always well received. If it is legal, this type of behavior is only tolerated on very short distances, between the place where the breakdown occurred and the place where the vehicle will be repaired or stored.

If following a check, the police consider that the towing is irregular, the driver will receive a third-class fine.