Road speed when towing & height of number plates from ground

Firstly you do not ever have to travel at the posted limit. You do however have to drive to the conditions and also may not unduly hold other traffic up.
Meaning if a queue behind you pull over when possible and let them past.

The numberplate thing is and has been discussed on the Caravanners forum and is unsubstantiated and there are clauses in the regs to allow variations.

The information originally came from the NRMA site and is over 2 years old.

There is provision in the regs to not have protrusions like towbar tongues on when not towing and the same applies to wide mirrors which contravene regs when van is not attached.

Peter,
Interesting, an acquaintance who is a policeman was telling me that they had charged a woman who hit a pedestrian. The woman was driving into the sunset and whilst doing the legal speed limit, she was not driving to conditions/ undue care or some such charge. I would rather face a judge saying that I was doing a safe or to conditions speed than the legal speed that a capable person would determine unsafe. I should mention that this policeman works in the legal section and the actual fellow that attended and was investigating rang him to see what she could be charged with.

Cheers

Mark

Just a quick clarification on the caravan in item 2.

Victoria has no annual roadworthy on vehicles or caravans for recreational use. Commercial weights and use is different.

The numberplate height is an ADR rule (2007) not a state one and the Manufacture should be ashamed of themselves if they did not know this.

The story is a couple of years old and although feasible I doubt that the person was pulled over just because of the numberplate and suspect that they were pulled over for other reasons, but booked for this.
These stories are written by the persecuted.

Tow ball/goose neck are a bug bear of mine and should always be removed.

Peter,
maybe you shouldn't listen to peoples stories in Brownsville.

1. Ahh yes, the I'm a safe driver, drive to the conditions and never had an accident.... but left a trail of destruction in my wake.
The 85-90, is that because it is a safe speed and that is how you justify it, or the most efficient speed?
I've been stuck in the conga line of vehicles behind vans coming down the Bruce highway and it is painful. 20, 30 cars and trucks all stuck behind someone doing well under the limit, it leads to frustration and risk taking to get past. As for safe passing, a car or a modern ute might get past, but most trucks have no hope, so you get some seriously bleep off drivers stuck there too, so the trucks get to the front of the cue and then cars try and pass a few truck and then the bloke in the hat towing the van. It is OK for those on holiday, but these guys are driving to a schedule. I know when I'm in my workshop doing stuff, nothing annoys me more than having someone getting in the way. The road is their workshop.

"Division 1; General
125. Unreasonably obstructing drivers or pedestrians
(1) A driver must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian.
Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.
(2) For this section, a driver does not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian only because—

(a) the driver is stopped in traffic; or
(b) the driver is driving more slowly than other vehicles (unless the driver is driving abnormally slowly in the circumstances).

Example of a driver driving abnormally slowly — a driver driving at a speed of 20km/h on a length of road to which a speed limit of 80km/h applies when there is no reason for the driver to drive at that speed on the length of road

So, driving 15 below the limit on a straight road on a clear day is an offence.

http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/T/TrantOpRURR09.pdf#G3.1017915

2. Has been the rule since 2005 and I suspect it has been also since 1995.

"9.1 Registration Plate (Number Plate)

Provision must be made for mounting of a 372 mm x 136 mm registration plate to the rear of every trailer so that no part of the plate is more than 1300 mm above the ground. "
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/vsb1/vsb_01_a.aspx#anc_7

But, like most things, you would have to have had done something to make the cop go to the effort to get out the tape measure.

And before you mark me as a hoon, 30 years behind the wheel or the handle bars, and never had a speeding ticket, or any ticket for that matter and one accident...1st year on my P's.

Point 1;
I agree with the removal of the tongue from the rear when not really in use. Nothing worse than walking behind a car with an arm full of parcels or baby and WHACK you get it in the shin. Some tongues really stick out a lot.

Point 2;
Crossing the Hay Plains or the Nullabore or on a mulitude of similar non multi lane roads in the outback, without the sun in your face and in fine weather with miles of straight road ahead does not dictate doing 95 in the 110 areas as "the conditions". 110 is quite safe for a good car and properly loaded van under those conditions. Travelling any slower is a drivers choice. Not driving "according to the conditions". I can't help think that the ones who do that are inconsiderate. Especially when they don't pull over and let the other drivers, also travelling to conditions, pass.

Maybe I am in a bad mood etc because I am just leaving for my monthly chemo but I had to get this off my chest. These "driving to conditions" statements are getting a bit howsyafather.

Phil

Discover down under had a piece on about a QLD team of coppers traveling around in motorhome. Too any rollovers apparently with caravaners, so amongst other things they are promoting that they slow down.

Seems as though one arm does not know what the other is doing.

Brett....

I have a small 4wd that only has a cruising speed of 65kph. I have to drive on 110kph roads as well as 100kph country roads. I try to do the right thing and keep to the left, often breaking the law myself driving on the left on the little bit of bitumen that push bikes ride on the left of the road. However I only do it when it is safe and if it is not I will hold up traffic - is a fact of life - I am not unreasonably holding traffic up. Even when there is not space to move off the road when I keep left on the carriageway I am so small that there is normally room for a normal sized car to overtake without going to the wrong side of the road.

HOWEVER on 100kph single lane highways I when I keep to the left I find most vehicles will not pass until there is an overtaking lane so in reality it is not me holding the traffic up. Trucks seem to overtake but many cars seem reluctant to do so.

I have seen a similar thing with caravans - sure some hog the road but even when they do the right thing many following cars seem reluctant to do the same thing.

With the exception of a couple of roads in WA where there are laws about minimum speed there is no where else where this applies in the rest of Aust. The situation in the OP would have been for unreasonably obstructing/holding up traffic and this law applies everywhere. If you took such a ticket to court the police would have to show and prove that you were unreasonably holding up traffic - examples etc would be needed - a long stream of traffic in itself would not be evidence. Of course is it worth challenging such a ticket but if you did, it would most likely be dropped.

Queensland police are not busting the motorists not keeping up to the speed limit.

Here is what is happening.

There is a big difference between what the OP reported and what motorists are actually getting busted for.

Thank you all & thank you Slow One
I point out that I towed my first caravan in 1967 when I visited NZ. The van was 14' 4 berth and the car was a Vauxhall Victor 3 speed manual.
The law of the land in NZ was that "if a vehicle had 5 or more vehicles behind it then the vehicle holding up the traffic HAD to pull over, until all traffic had passed".
I would also point out that I was a Sales representative in NSW & Qld for 50 years driving on country roads both sealed and dirt. I travelled about 100,000 km per year.
I believe (I know I'm big headed) that I understand road, traffic and weather conditions better than most.
But I do sincerly thank you all
Regards
Stay well & stay safe
Regards
OeteM (Qld)