Informal survey supp brakes
We are on an extended 3 month trip and I have decided to keep track of the percentage of class a toad haulers using supplemental breaking systems while walking the dogs in campgrounds. After a week it...
Forum Discussion
willald wrote:
All the joking aside, I will be curious to see what you find from this informal survey. I bet we'll be surprised at how few people really use them.
Oh, one other thing I must mention:tropical_ron wrote:
Nerver needed one; always had one; will never be without one. Many states require one. Cheapest insurance we've ever bought in regards to liability...peace of mind also.
..Agree 100% with all of that, EXCEPT the part about many states requiring it. That is simply not true.
This 'myth' has been debunked on here many, many times. Fact is most states do NOT require it. Whats happened is, supplemental braking companies frequently post 'state laws' on their web pages that essentially lie, and claim these systems are required by law when they are NOT in reality, when you research all the details about the laws.
IMO, this has misled a lot of people about the truth of the matter, and they just 'propagate the myth' they read from supplemental braking companies. Really wish folks would stop doing that, as it leads to folks being misinformed.
Don't get me wrong, I agree 100% that these systems are a great idea, and everyone should at least seriously consider one when towing a car. However, don't be misled into thinking that state laws require such in most states, 'cause that is not necessarily true.
In fact, some of the states that those Lists Of Towing Laws say have NO requirement for towed vehicle braking actually DO! It is called a Braking Performance Law. The law specifies that a vehicle (or "combination of vehicles) must be able to stop within a certain distance on a clean, level, hard surface from 20 MPH. Here in Montana it is within 40 feet (MCA 61-9-312). IIRC, in California it is 45 feet. FMVSS also has braking performance standards.
Also be aware that in the event of the dreaded panic stop, at 65 MPH you will travel almost 200 feet, on average, before your foot even touches the brake pedal!
It is interesting that NONE of these auxiliary braking systems, AFAIK, have ever been tested by any independent laboratory to verify that they actually do what the manufacturer says they will do. Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, NHTSA, etc. NO testing! I wonder why. If such a system is such a necessity, seems SOMEBODY would test it!
Especially BIG INSURANCE!!
