Hawaii driving lesson · Trucks, Buses & Motorcycles
Towing a trailer
A 3-minute lesson from the Hawaii course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Pulling a trailer gives your car many of the same limits as a big truck: longer stops, wider turns and blocked views. Hawaii sets specific rules for mirrors, brakes, chains and passengers.
Know the rule
If your trailer blocks the view through your inside rear-view mirror, you must have outside rear-view mirrors of proper size on both sides of your car.
Too much weight on the hitch makes steering difficult; too little makes the trailer 'fishtail.' Don't overload the trailer, and hold the load securely.
You hook a 1,200-lb boat trailer to your car and it sways side to side at speed. That fishtailing means too little weight is on the hitch. Rebalance the load so about 10% to 15% of the trailer's weight sits on the hitch.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
If your trailer is large enough to block your view through the inside rear-view mirror, you must:
an outside mirror on the driver's side only
an outside mirror on the passenger side only
a person to clear you for right turns
outside mirrors of proper size on both sides
Answer: outside mirrors of proper size on both sides
Properly sized outside mirrors on both sides are required if the trailer blocks the inside mirror.