The operation of vehicles is prohibited if:

Explanation

If the towing device is out of order.

The towing device — the hook, eye or attachment point the manufacturer provided on the vehicle for towing — must be sound, and its failure is on the list of defects prohibiting operation. The important point is that this equipment is not only for when you are towing another vehicle; on the day your own car breaks down, that same hook is the only way of getting it off the road.

The load on this point is far greater than it seems. In towing, the rope or bar is continually tensioned and slackened, and every pull-away delivers a sudden shock to the hook. A cracked or loose hook that shows no problem in normal use breaks at precisely that shock, and the released rope whips at speed towards one of the two vehicles. If the connection parts while moving, the towed vehicle — which usually has no power assistance for brakes or steering either — is left with no control.

The option about orange indicators at the front is a trap: orange/yellow is the standard colour for indicators. Every time you meet an option about lamp colour in this chapter, measure it against the colour table first and count it an offence only if it conflicts.

• Orange (yellow) is the lawful colour for indicators; this option describes the vehicle's correct condition and is not a defect. • Since the first item is not an offence, "in both cases" cannot be the answer either.

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