Core: Lighting and reflection of the trailer

Every trailer has at minimum plate lighting, 2 red rear lights, 2 red brake lights and 2 red or orange indicators at the rear (Book p.232). Reflection is fixed in colour AND position: 2 red triangular reflectors at the rear, 2 white retroreflectors at the front, orange retroreflectors on each side. Remember: red rear, white front, orange side. One red rear fog light is always mandatory on the trailer itself — it is simply in the minimum equipment requirements (Book p.232). The only exception is if the towing vehicle itself has no fog light; a registration date such as '31 December 1997' does not belong to the trailer itself. Three lights are conditional, each with its own threshold: - 2 white position lights at the front, only if the trailer is wider than 1.60 metres. - 1 white or yellow reversing light, only if the permitted maximum mass exceeds 750 kg. - Extra marker lights, only if the trailer is longer than 6 metres and/or wider than 2.10 metres. Do not mix those three thresholds: the 1.60 m width belongs to the position lights, not to the reversing light, which hangs on the 750 kg. Two points of attention: the trailer's lighting must burn simultaneously with that of the towing car (not an independent system), and adding extra lighting is forbidden in many cases — check that beforehand. The tyres must have at least 1.6 mm of tread.