If you aren’t used to pulling a trailer, driving a rental for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. You’d never want to do any damage to a rental, so you’ll surely want to take every opportunity to learn how to safely manage the trailer. With that in mind, take a look at these three tips from your friends at Community Rental Car so you can safely back up your rental trailer.
1. Practice in a Safe Space
Practically speaking, practicing is the only way to get experience. Therefore, find a large, empty parking lot to practice in before you take your trailer out on the road. If you have traffic cones, try backing your trailer between two of them or into the parking spaces. This will help you get a sense of how easy it is to maneuver your trailer in a relaxed setting. Making a mistake now, while there is nothing nearby to accidentally run into, is preferable to making a mistake on the road.
2. Learn Correct Hand Placement
Our next tip is really practical and straightforward: Use correct hand placement! Put one hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, or the six o’clock position, when backing your trailer. You will have far more control over the direction of your trailer thanks to this. The back of the trailer will move to the right if you move your hand to the right, and to the left if you move your hand to the left.
3. Use Your Mirrors
Although it may seem obvious, people frequently become anxious and just glance in one mirror. This is the quickest method to accidentally back into something. This is especially true when you have access to a backup camera. Although backup cameras are useful, it’s still essential to remain conscious of your entire environment. When you back up, slowly reverse while checking both side mirrors and the rearview mirror if possible.
Community Rental Car provides Winston-Salem, NC, and the nearby areas of Greensboro and Winston-Salem, with our growing fleet of car rentals, minivan rentals, SUV rentals, and truck rentals. You can contact us today at (336) 448-2905 to receive a quote.