2008 Lexus RX 400h Owners Manual - Page 191

2-5. Driving information NOTICE n Safety chain A safety chain must always be used between the towing vehicle and the trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the chain for turns. The chain should cross under the trailer tongue to prevent the tongue from dropping to the ground in the case that it becomes damaged or separated. For the correct safety chain installation procedure, ask your Lexus dealer. n Do not directly splice trailer lights 2 Directly splicing trailer lights may damage your vehicle's electrical system and cause a malfunction. When driving Trailer towing tips Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. The 3 main causes of vehicle-trailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed and improper trailer loading. Keep the following in mind when towing. l Before starting out, check the trailer lights and the vehicle-trailer connections. Recheck after driving a short distance. l Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attached in an area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel of the vehicle. l Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice. Grip the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move the trailer to right. (This is generally opposite to reversing without a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have someone guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an accident. l As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-tovehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length. 193