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Incidents involving vehicles towing caravans or trailers accounted for 43 fatalities and 1400 injuries on England's roads in 2006.

The new DVD, developed by the Highways Agency, features practical demonstrations on how to correctly attach your trailer or caravan, how to maintain it and what to check for to ensure it is safe to tow before you go.

Advice on how to prepare your trailer or caravan safely for a journey, speed limits, licensing, break down recovery and how to plan your journey before you set out, features in the film.

Roger Wright, Highways Agency Technical Adviser, said: "In the lead up to the holiday season, we are again urging road users not to take their caravan, trailer or horse trailer out on the road without a proper maintenance check, especially if it has been left standing for most of the year. With a simple once-over before you set off, you could avoid breaking down and delaying not only your journey but other road users as well.

"With proper preparation, a lot of inconvenience can be avoided. Our advice to all drivers is to also make sure you have the proper cover with your recovery service. If you're not sure then watch the DVD or read our Fit to Tow leaflet."

When incidents do occur on the Highways Agency network of England's motorways and major A roads, they often result in lanes being closed for extended period of time while vehicles and trailers are recovered and debris is cleared from the carriageway.

Having a live animal on board can also complicate matters when dealing with a broken down or damaged vehicle Horses are easily spooked and there is the risk that animals could jump over the central reservation into moving traffic on the opposite carriageway posing a serious risk to motorists. For safety reasons, it is sometimes necessary to close whole motorways while horses are sedated and transferred into alternative trailers.

Highways Agency Traffic Officers deal with many towing-related incidents and support the police in dealing with them. As well as this, our Traffic Officers frequently come across drivers towing trailers without sufficient cover for breakdown and recovery.

Further information

There is detailed information available on the Highways Agency website. To request a copy of the DVD or a hard copy of the accompanying leaflet, or for any other query call the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30. There is information on Directgov on the licence you need to tow a caravan or trailer.

• Advice on towing a trailer or caravan Opens new window
• Advice on towing a horsebox Opens new window
• The driving licence you need to tow a caravan or trailer