The operation of vehicles is prohibited if:

Explanation

If the towing device is out of order.

A defective towing device is one of the explicit items on the list of defects that prohibit a vehicle from moving. The criterion is that the component be sound and ready for use; whether you intend to tow anything today makes no difference to the rule.

In safety terms, towing is one of the most hazardous traffic situations: two vehicles at a short distance apart, one without power and often with heavy brakes and steering, moving in general traffic. The only thing holding the two together is that coupling device. If the hook's weld is cracked or its bolts to the body have worked loose, the first tension shock is enough for the connection to part and leave the rear vehicle adrift in the middle of the road. That is why the legislator, rather than merely regulating the method of towing, has also made the soundness of the component itself a condition of movement.

The option about white reflectors at the front is a colour trap. The rule is: front reflectors white and rear reflectors red. So fitting a white reflector at the front is exactly what the standard requires. If the two were swapped — a red reflector at the front or a white one at the rear — the oncoming driver would read the stopped vehicle's orientation backwards, and that is what constitutes an offence.

• Front reflectors must be white (and rear ones red), so fitting a white reflector at the front is observance of the rule, not a breach of it. • Since the first item is not an offence at all, the combined option is ruled out too.

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