NATM recognizes Trailer Safety Week Champions

Trailer Safety Week, set for June 4-10 this year, is an annual nationwide awareness campaign launched by NATM aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of trailer safety, educating end-users about proper trailer maintenance and usage, and creating a stronger alliance between stakeholders of the industry, including trailer dealers, manufacturers, and end-users. Last year alone, TSW reached hundreds of thousands of individuals.

Inaugurated in 2018, TSW seeks to help bridge the gap of communication between trailer manufacturers and end-users. Talking about the importance of trailers built to meet required Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) can be daunting as end-users do not understand the complex regulations governing compliant trailer manufacturing, NATM explained. Customers recognize that they would not purchase a car without seat belts, but they do not understand that buying a trailer without key safety features can be just as dangerous. End-users are vastly under-educated on the proper use of trailers, and it is crucial to utilize the connections that dealers and manufacturers have with consumers in order to raise awareness of proper towing techniques and maintenance.

Now, especially, safe trailering practices are important. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is cracking down on compliance violations, and two recent accidents have brought to light the importance of safe trailering practices, NATM noted. One accident, previously covered in an article on behalf of NHTSA, resulted in a fatality due to inappropriately connected safety chains between the tow vehicle and towed unit which led to disconnection on a highway. More recently, safety chains saved a couple dangling nearly 100 feet above a river.

Safe trailering practices save lives, and with millions of trailers—used by businesses, local governments, and individuals—traversing the nation’s roadways every day, it is crucial to ensure that trailers are being towed safely for the sake of everyone on the roads.

NATM calls upon trailer dealers to join the movement in making roadways safer one trailer at a time.

TSW Allies

Becoming an Official Trailer Safety Week Ally is an opportunity for companies to be involved in the safety movement without investing significant time. The TSW team provides Allies with the official Trailer Safety Communications Kit to promote their involvement in Trailer Safety Week and to share information about safe trailering practices.

This digital kit includes:

• Pre-crafted social media posts
• Downloadable Trailer Safety Week graphics
• A blog post, and more.

The content can even be customized to include content specific to the dealership’s typical customer.

TrailerSafetyWeek.com also houses a free towing safely guide to ensure trailer users have readily accessible safety information at their fingertips. By highlighting this free safety resource, dealerships remind customers that a TSW Ally is looking out for them and their well-being long after they leave the lot. Topics include hitching, loading, trailer maintenance, and more.