Towing without a car braking system??

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I have not found one single state that required auxiliary braking on a "vehicle in tow". All of the responses I received were almost exactly the same as this one from Florida:

A vehicle towed behind a motor home would be exempt from the braking requirements in Florida statute 316.261 as a drive away, tow away operation. Please contact me if you have any other questions.

Lt. Jeff Frost
Florida Highway Patrol
Public Affairs Officer
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS 45
850-617-2279
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
www.flhsmv.gov/fhp
Jefffrost@flhsmv.gov

I can guaranty that every company that sells braking systems will say that Florida REQUIRES a braking system but they cleverly fail to mention that the braking system is for trailers, which a toad is NOT. Do not confuse the two things being towed.
SOME states, such as California, only require a braking system if the combined vehicles CANNOT stop within a specified distance at a certain speed. This distance is fairly long and most RV's with properly operating brakes can bring everything to a halt well within the distance specified.

This is not correct either. Florida, like most other states including California, uses a braking performance chart to decide whether you need aux brakes or not. See 316.262 of the Florida codes. If your combination of vehicles can perform in accordance with the charts you do not need aux brakes. This is a near impossible law to enforce as the Highway Patrol is not going to make you drive down the road and slam on your brakes and measure the stopping distance.

Your reply from Lt. Frost is specific to "Drive away-Tow away" operations. That refers to commercial towing operators but even per the statute, they still have to be able to meet the same braking performance charts. So it's not relevant anyway.