Safety Tip ......... Safe Winching

The Borneo Lesson

Recent TV coverage of Borneo Safari showed graphic evidence of what can happen when a winch cable breaks, fortunately no-one was killed but several were seriously injured. A cable or mounting can break without warning and flail about causing obscene amounts of damage.

The diagram shows two vehicles, one winching the other. The dotted lines show the area within which a broken cable could cause damage. Everyone except the two drivers must stay outside this area. Often kids are left to watch while the parents are busy with the car - do the right thing for them as well as yourself by escorting them to a safe distance.

I have seen the result of a snatch strap attached to an aluminium bull bar - the bar was embedded in the tailgate of the tow car, whilst I was driving a towed car when a snatch strap broke - it made quite an impression on the roof and wiper blades, but could have been somebody's head.

Keep winch cables and straps in good condition, regularly check hooks and 'D' shackles. Make sure your car has proper tow points front and rear and don't attach towing devices to any part of a vehicle not designed to take shock loads.

Nikko