Stay Safe on the Road by Checking Your Breakaway Cable

A key component to trailer safety is the breakaway cable. It is important to understand how your breakaway cable works and what to do if your trailer becomes detached from your tow vehicle. Spend a couple minutes learning how your cable keeps you safe, and then check out our infographic to learn how you can test your breakaway switch to ensure it is working properly.

How Your Breakaway Switch Keeps You Safe

The breakaway switch is a safety device that provides a means of automatically slowing and stopping your trailer should it become detached from the tow vehicle during transit. The cable from the breakaway switch should be attached to the tow vehicle and if a separation occurs, the pin is pulled out of the switch which activates the brakes of the trailer to slow and eventually stop the trailer. The breakaway switch is only powered by a 12 volt RV battery on the trailer. Please consult with your RV dealer to purchase the proper battery.

Attaching a breakaway cable for a trailer

Many trailer owners attach their breakaway cable to their safety chain hooks or ball mount to keep it out of the way, but those locations are neither legal nor safe. The breakaway system stops your trailer in the event of a hitch failure, so you shouldn’t attach it to any part of the receiver hitch. Your cable should be attached to part of the tow vehicle that has no chance of coming apart – the frame.

What is a breakaway cable? What does it do?

A breakaway cable is a safety cable that attaches the brake system on trailer to the back of your tow vehicle. The cable is in place in case your trailer unhooks from your tow vehicle. If the trailer unhooks, then the pin pulls out from the box, activating the trailer brakes.

How does the breakaway cable keep you safe?

A breakaway cable keeps your trailer from becoming a missile if it detaches from your tow vehicle. Once the pin pulls out and the brakes are activated, the trailer should slow down and stop. This may prevent it from running through your tow vehicle, driving off a cliff or causing a hazard to other drivers on the road.

How does the breakaway cable work?

Your breakaway cable attaches to the brake system on your trailer and then attaches to the back of your tow vehicle. If the trailer ever becomes detached from your vehicle while towing, this cable pulls out the pin attached to the trailer brake, causing them to engage and safely stop your trailer.

What to do if your trailer becomes detached?

In the case that your trailer becomes detached from your tow vehicle, there are a couple of things you will want to do. If your trailer is still connected with the safety chains use the manual trailer brake control to slow down your trailer and slow down your tow vehicle while pulling off onto the side of the road. If your trailer has become uncoupled and it isn’t attached by the safety chains, then your Zip breakaway cable will pull out and the trailer brakes will apply. In this case pull your vehicle over until your trailer comes to a complete stop and you have the chance to assess the situation.

Why is the Fastway Zip breakaway cable better?

The Zip not only keeps you safe, but it is also faster and easier than another cable. With the Zip there are no frayed ends or cables dragging on the ground. The unique coil cable of the Zip easily stretches to your tow vehicle and clips on with the included carabiner. There is no looping over and around the trailer tongue to keep the cable out of the way.