Towing your own car can be deadly without the right knowledge and equipment

If you’ve broken down in the middle of the night, you might be tempted to call a friend and have them tow you home using a tow strap or rope. The thing is, without the right knowledge and equipment, you may be setting yourself up for total disaster.

I know what you’re thinking, we’re biased because we’re a towing company but it’s about more than that. In fact, in some situations we’d even recommend it as a great solution.

What you may not realize until it’s too late is just how quickly the situation can turn lethal. All it takes is a flimsy rope snapping to severely injure someone caught in the way. Maybe you attached to the tow ball which can shear off and go straight through your windscreen, hopefully avoiding you.

If in doubt, just call a professional towing service and make sure everyone gets home safely. If you’re just looking for some pointers though, here’s what you need to know.

Let’s start with your legal obligations

Sure, this is the boring part but it’s also important to have this info to avoid a fine. Of course, on top of this, make sure you’re driving safely for the conditions at hand and don’t impede traffic around you.

This information is from Queensland’s Transport Operations (Road Use Management—Road Rules) Regulation 2009.

It’s always a good idea to double-check the most current laws to be sure as they may have changed since this article was written.

A driver must not tow a vehicle at night, or in hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility, unless—
(i) the tail lights of the vehicle are operating effectively and are clearly visible; or
(ii) the vehicle has portable rear lights that are operating

The driver of a motor vehicle must not tow another motor vehicle unless—
(a) either—

(i) the driver can control the movement of the towed vehicle; or
(ii) the brakes and steering of the towed vehicle are in working order and a person who is licensed to drive the towed vehicle is sitting in the driver’s seat of the towed vehicle, and is in control of its brakes and steering; and

(b) it is safe to tow the vehicle.

The driver of a motor vehicle towing another vehicle using a chain, rope, fabric, strap or wire (the towline) must;

If neither of the vehicles is a motorbike, keep a distance of not over 4m between the vehicles.

If at least 1 of the vehicles is a motorbike, keep a distance of not over 2.5m between the vehicles.

If the towline is longer than 2m, attach a white or brightly coloured flag, piece of cloth or other similar material (the warning material) to the towline

The warning material must—
(a) be substantially square or rectangular with 2 adjacent sides at least 300mm long; and
(b) be attached midway along the towline; and
(c) be visible for at least 100m from either side of the warning material.

If the driver is towing at night, the driver must ensure the warning material is lit by a light attached to 1 of the vehicles.

Only ever tow a vehicle short distances

Not only can it be dangerous for the people involved, it also puts a lot of stress on the tow vehicle. Not to mention the potential danger of other drivers around you. Even if you do everything perfectly, you’d be shocked by the decisions some drivers will make!

Use Google Maps to check the distance of your intended tow. If it’s more than 10km, it’s just not worth it. Even if it’s only 5km that already starts to raise some questions.

Rent a trailer or call a tow truck and do it right. The risks far outweigh the slight amount of money you might save.

Attach to tow hooks or your trailer hitch only

Sure, it makes for a funny video to show your friends but attaching to your bullbar is never a good idea. Take a look at this effort as a classic example. “That’s why you need proper recovery points” is exactly right!

Obviously this is an extreme example but you get the point. Very few bullbars are made to stand up to the forces involved in towing the weight of the entire vehicle.

Likewise, never attach your rope, chain or tow strap to the tow ball. Many are made of a softer metal that can shear off and become lethal. Sadly, many lives have been lost this way, take a look at this excellent demonstration and see for yourself.

This is also an extreme offroad example but all it takes is a weakened tow ball for this to happen to you as well.

In a pinch, you may be able to attach directly to your chassis rail but this should only be in an emergency as you risk causing a lot of damage. As always, if you don’t have the right equipment, our recommendation is to arrange a truck or trailer.

Keep bystanders well clear of the tow strap

If your rope or strap snaps under the heavy load, it’ll go like a whip. Depending on where it breaks, it can reach the full length of the strap with incredible force.

For an adult this can mean serious injury. For curious children, much worse. If you want to see what we mean, watch the whole clip shown above. It’s a perfect demonstration with some mannequins.

If you’re using a 5m strap, make sure everyone is about 10m back to be safe.

Avoid highways and other high speed areas

In any circumstance, driving a long way above or below the posted speed limit can be very dangerous. The drivers around you may not realize you’re going quite that slow and run straight into the back of you.

Think about driving down the M1 at 40km/h, surrounded by traffic doing 110km/h (and usually much more, let’s be honest). Even if you’re doing the right thing and staying in the left lane, the other vehicles are closing in on you at 70km/h+.

All it takes is a vehicle merging on behind you to shoulder check, expecting you’re doing the speed limit, now there are 3 cars in the ditch and guess who is to blame. . .

In case you’re unsure, it’s you. Australian Road Rule 125 states that drivers must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another vehicle. Driving 70km/h below the limit is sure to be considered an “unreasonable obstruction”.

Tow during the day and avoid busy roads

Towing another vehicle with a strap requires a lot of attention to detail. You need to know exactly where that second car is at all times, where the potential dangers are and how to navigate the obstacles around you.

Trying to do this at night or in peak hour traffic is just asking for trouble. Towing during peak hour only makes traffic conditions worse and increases the risk of someone trying to merge into the gap between your two cars.

As you can see in the laws above, towing at night is also illegal so it’s best to do this before or after peak hour when there’s still daylight.

Safest if the towed vehicle is running

In many cases, you may be towing a car because it broke down and doesn’t run. If this is the case, it’s almost certainly better to find other options.

Depending on your mechanical knowledge, you may not realize that a car that’s turned off has very limited braking capacity. After you press on the brakes once you’ll feel that brake pedal go hard. After that, you have almost no ability to slow yourself down.

Now you’re in a situation where you’re following right behind another car and you’re about to be closely acquainted with their rear bumper. Then you’ll wish you called a tow truck!

Keep the key in the ignition and don’t turn it to ‘Lock’

Something else you may never have noticed is that, in almost all cars, if you remove the key then turn the steering wheel, it’ll lock at that angle. You won’t be able to straighten the steering wheel until you put the key in and turn it.

This is another small detail that can turn a simple tow into a very dangerous situation in just seconds.

Never tow a vehicle that’s attached to anything else

If you broke down and were towing a trailer or even another car, don’t even think about it. There’s literally no situation where towing a car-and-trailer combo is anything but dangerous.

Not only are you adding even more weight and force to the equation, you’ve also got an additional object to watch and maintain, not to mention another pivot point. There’s a reason truck drivers need so much experience before they can learn to drive a road train. . .

Try to keep open communication between both drivers

Whether you put each other on speaker phone or have a UHF/VHF radio in each car, try to keep communication open. Things can deteriorate much faster than you think and being able to yell “stop!” instantly just might save you from catastrophe.

Both drivers need to have their wits about them and keep a close eye on their surroundings so hanging out the window is not a great alternative. Especially if your tow strap or rope snaps — you’ll want to keep that windscreen in front of you for some degree of protection.

It’s usually best if the rear vehicle initiates braking

A common problem for inexperienced drivers trying to tow with a strap is running that strap over. If the first vehicle initiates braking, it can literally only take one second for that strap to get enough slack to touch the ground.

If this happens coming into a turn, it’ll now be just centimetres from those front wheels. Instead, have the rear vehicle gently initiate braking slightly earlier than normal. The aim is to keep tension on the strap at all times to keep it off the ground. Remember, a taut strap can’t be run over.

Check the towing capacity of both vehicles

All vehicles are given a maximum towing capacity for a reason. The chassis and driveline can only exert so much force before things start to break and this can get very expensive.

Likewise, the brakes on the car being towed are only designed to deal with so much weight. When the second car is initiating the braking, don’t expect your broken down Getz to stop your mate’s Patrol in a hurry!

Knowing the limitations of both vehicles can be an important factor and only takes a minute.

Opt for slow, steady movements

Last but not least, make sure you take things steady. Hard, jolting movements can be enough to twist the chassis on either (or even both) vehicles.

Be careful to make sure the slack has been slowly taken up in the line before you accelerate. Similarly, heavy braking should be for emergencies only.

You’re legally limited to just 4m of distance between the two cars. If the front vehicle brakes hard, you’re going to collide, no two ways about it.

Slow and steady (probably) gets the job done safely. Make no mistake, towing a car with a strap does bring inherent dangers and it’s important you understand them.

Frequently Asked Questions

about towing your own car in Brisbane