The Skoda Kodiaq is an excellent SUV that is great to drive around town during the week and out on the highways at the weekends. Being able to take weekend adventure trips is one of the main reasons why people buy off road vehicles. Some of these trips involve towing a trailer, caravan or boat trailer as well as your usual luggage. The towing laws in Australia can be a little hard to understand, so we have put together a short introduction to help you to tow safely and legally.
Towing in Australia
The safety standards for cars and vans are set down by the Federal government. As an example: the laws regarding trailer standards are detailed in a document called VSB1. These laws are then enforced by each individual state and territory that also have their own laws. In fact, each state varies quite a lot in how some of these safety standards are interpreted. This is similar to the way that Australian road rules are applied, and they actually have no legal effect until those rules are applied in each state or territory. A great deal of effort has been made to standardise road rules, but some rules remain unique to each state or territory, and towing rules are amongst these exceptions. It’s important to know how things differ and there are many rules and regulations related to towing. If you fall foul of the law in the state you’re driving through it could result in a fine and demerit points.
Towing Overweight Trailers
The single biggest issue that could cause a towing driver to run into practical and legal problems is the towing weight. It’s incredibly important to ensure that you don’t exceed your maximum allowed trailer weight or Aggregate Trailer Mass to give it the correct title. The only accurate way to check this is to take your loaded trailer and towing vehicle to a public weighbridge. Trying to guess the weight isn’t worth the risk and the fines can be very steep. Random weight testing for trailers and caravans has become more frequent in recent years, and it generates a lot of fines making it a worthwhile exercise. Always ensure that your towbar isn’t restricting the visibility of your registration plate.
If they are interested in the Skoda Kodiaq, Perth based drivers should get in touch with us here at Skoda Perth. We have a large selection of new, ex demo and used cars available including the latest Skoda Kodiaq models. We would like you to join us for a no obligation test drive, and you can try out the fantastic Kodiaq for yourself. If you need to finance your new car purchase we have financing with competitive rates and the repayments will be tailored to meet your specific needs. Our team is standing by to advise you on the latest Skoda Kodiaq for sale price, and they will be delighted to answer any further questions that you may have.
