• Could you tell me what the speed limit is
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for a private car towing a singleaxle, two-wheeled trailer (caravan or otherwise) travelling on the motorway, and what is the speed limit for a commercial vehicle towing a four-wheeled trailer on the motorway?
AThe speed limit for towing a single-axle
two-wheeled trailer or a close-coupled four-wheeled trailer on a motorway is 40 mph. There is no speed limit on motorways other than the overall 70 mph maximum for a commercial vehicle towing a four-wheeled drawbar trailer.
The reason for the restricted speed limits on two-wheeled and close-coupled four-wheeled trailers is suggested in the paper "How Fast?" prepared in 1968 by the MoT as a basis for discussion on speed limits in general. ". . . despite improvements in the design of the best modern caravans and trailers. there are still considerable numbers of the older models and badly matched combinations, of vehicle and trailer on the roads. These can be unstable at high speeds and constitute a danger both to other road users and to the driver of the towing vehicle."