RV FEATURE
Tow mirrors. Extension mirrors. Towing
mirrors. Whatever you call them, for most
caravanners, they’re a fact of life.
Unfortunately, however, we are not all as
diligent as we should be about using them.
And I include myself in this statement. So what
are the facts? Must tow mirrors be used by all
caravanners, regardless of the shape or size
of their van? Are they just an accessory that
vanners can choose to use or disregard? Or is
there much more to the story?
LOOKING BACK
The field of vision provided by a vehicle’s
external mirrors are required to meet the
standard set down in Australian Design Rule
14/02 – Rear Vision Mirrors. It states:
The field of vision must be such that the driver
can see at least a 4m wide, flat, horizontal
portion of the road, which is bounded by a
plane parallel to the median longitudinal vertical
plane and passing through the outermost
point of the vehicle on the driver’s side [and
passenger’s side] of the vehicle and extends
from 20m behind the driver’s ocular points to
the horizon.
In addition, the road must be visible to the
driver over a width of 1m, which is bounded
by a plane parallel to the median longitudinal
vertical plane and passing through the
outermost point of the vehicle starting from
a point 4m behind the vertical plane passing
through the driver’s ocular points.
Confused? We don’t blame you. Hopefully the
diagram below will help you understand the field
of vision your vehicle’s external mirrors must
maintain. And here is where it gets tricky. Even
with a caravan hitched up, the driver is required
to maintain that same rearward vision. If your
van is wider than your tow vehicle – as almost
all are – the use of tow mirrors is unavoidable.
20m
4m
GROUND LEVEL 4m
GROUND LEVEL 4m
1m
DRIVER’S
OCULAR POINTS
Marty Ledwich of RVeethereyet.com uses
Clearview mirrors on his Cruiser (pic: Marty Ledwich).
gorv.com.au
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