Q I am confused about what constitutes a trailer because I
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am told that a vehicle ambulance is not regarded as a trailer and a dolly is. Why does a vehicle ambulance and a broken-down vehicle become one trailer but a dolly and trailer, two ? Are they not similar in nature ?
A As you are no doubt aware, Section 65 (1) (c) of the Road Traffic Act 1972 limits the number of trailers which may be drawn by a motor car or a heavy motor car to one.
However, Regulation 136 of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1973 allows such vehicles to draw two trailers where one of those trailers is a towing implement and the other is a vehicle, part of which is secured to and either rests on or is suspended from the towing implement.
To understand if both vehicle ambulance and dolly (either of which might possibly be a towing implement) • can be included in this provision, it is necessary to consult Regulation 3 in which i§ provided a definition of a towing implement.
Here that device is described as being "designed for the purpose of enabling a motor vehicle to draw another vehicle by the attachment of that device to that other vehicle in such a manner that part of that other vehicle is secured to and either rests on or is suspended from the device and some if not all of the wheels on which that other vehicle normally runs are raised off the ground."
While it is obvious that a towing ambulance does all this, the dolly does not lift off the ground any of the wheels of the vehicle with which it is being used. It cannot therefore be classed as a 'towing implement" and Regulation 136 does not apply to it.