Learner and P plate drivers can tow trailers in South Australia.
South Australian P Plate and Learner drivers can tow any trailer that is legally permitted for the car they are driving.
Towing a trailer requires extra skills, planning and thought. There is much to learn including loading the trailer, reversing, managing the extra weight, checking and adjusting the brakes if fitted. Your Supervisor can teach you these and other towing must knows. Tyre pressures are critical. How the trailer is loaded is so important. Do the lights work properly? Are the safety chains attached?
Loading a trailer so it tows well is all about weight distribution. Too much weight in the front and it will over load the car. Too much weight to the rear and it will not tow straight. If you ever see a trailer fish tailing down the road, it is probably a loading issue.
One of our Drive Smart Instructors recently discovered this brilliant trailer weight distribution video clip. Thank’s Dino, it says it all.
Of course, towing should not be introduced until the Learner has some experience and is confident handling the car. Once confident in the car, what better time to learn about towing.
Then there is reversing the trailer! People who are great at reversing trailers are considered almost super human. Once again, learn this with your supervisor. Much better that finding out you can’t do it on your own.
<h2>Towing trailers in other states</h2>
South Australia permits towing on L and P Plates. What about towing trailers in other states? The easy answer is always comply with the Learner and P Plate rules of the state you are driving in. Some states have different speed limit rules. Most have different towing rules.
There is so much to learn about towing so learning on your L Plates is a good time.
DPTI offer some great advice about towing and trailers on the SA Gov website they also offer a good Fact Sheet which includes weight, load and length information.
Camping and caravaning can be great fun. A trip to pick up a load of sand can be handy. All this is true if you know how to manage your trailer or caravan.
Wishing you all the best for a safe towing future.
It makes sense that you would need to learn properly how to tow things before you do it. It’s a good idea to hire a professional if you don’t know how! It’s better not to risk any issues.