23.20. Is it permitted to tow a vehicle with a trailer?
UAЧи дозволяється буксирування транспортного засобу з причепом?
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This is an exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerning safety during towing and the correct formation of vehicle coupling. Such situations directly affect controllability, braking distance, and the stability of the convoy, so the traffic rules clearly restrict how the "who tows whom" connection should look and where a trailer is allowed.
The question tests the section of the Traffic Rules about towing (points 23.1 and 23.10 e) and understanding the roles in the coupling: it is important to distinguish between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle. According to the rules, towing must be performed by a motor vehicle without a trailer, but it is allowed for the towed vehicle to have a trailer, and overall, there should be only one trailer in the entire connection. Therefore, the permitted scheme looks like: car (towing, without trailer) — car (towed) — its trailer.
Therefore, the option "prohibited" would be correct only in the situation where the trailer is attached to the towing vehicle (that is, "car with trailer — car" or "car — trailer — car"), as this directly contradicts the requirements of point 23.10 e) of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine and creates a dangerous "chain" structure. Instead, for the theoretical exam, it is important to remember: when the trailer is attached to the towed vehicle and the towing car has no trailer, the traffic rules allow such towing.
Clause 23.1
Towing must be carried out by a motor vehicle without a trailer and with technically sound coupling devices both on the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle. It is allowed to tow one motor vehicle only with one trailer.
Explanation of application: The Traffic Rules allow the trailer to be part of the towed vehicle (the scheme is "towing vehicle (without trailer) — towed vehicle — trailer"). In this case, the towing vehicle must be without a trailer.
Clause 23.10 (e)
Towing by a vehicle with a trailer is prohibited.
Explanation of application: the prohibition applies specifically to the towing vehicle (the one pulling), but does not prohibit towing a vehicle that has a trailer (provided the requirements of clause 23.1 are met).
That is, the correct answer is "Allowed.", given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, the towing vehicle must be without a trailer, but it is allowed to tow one motor vehicle, which may have one trailer.
In this question, it is important to distinguish which vehicle has the trailer: the towing vehicle or the vehicle being towed. The rules allow for a situation where the trailer is attached to the vehicle being towed.
The traffic rules require that during towing, there may be only one trailer in the entire combination. That is, the permissible arrangement looks like this: towing car (without a trailer) — towed car — its trailer. This option complies with the regulations and does not create a dangerous “chain” construction.
On the other hand, it is prohibited when the towing vehicle has a trailer, and an additional car is attached for towing. In this case, the combination consists of two vehicles plus a trailer, but the trailer is located before the towed car, which complicates control and braking and does not meet the requirements of the Rules. Conditionally, it looks like: car — trailer — car, and such a scheme is not allowed.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Allowed.", since the traffic rules permit towing a vehicle that has one trailer, provided that the towing car is without a trailer and there is only one trailer in the entire combination.