A towing point takes a steady load through a designed coupling; a recovery point takes a short, high, often shock load. They are not interchangeable.

Towing applies a relatively constant force while both vehicles are rolling.

Recovery applies a much higher force to free a vehicle that is stuck, and the peak can be several times the vehicle's weight.

Kinetic recovery ropes deliberately stretch and release stored energy, multiplying the peak force further.

Equipment rated for towing can and does fail under recovery loads, and the failure is sudden.

Use the manufacturer's designated recovery points for recovery and the towing attachment for towing, and do not substitute either.

Because the stored energy launches the failed component - a shackle or hook becomes a projectile that can pass through a windscreen.

A rope or strap under tension stores a large amount of energy, and a kinetic rope stores far more by design.

When something in the chain fails, that energy is released instantly and accelerates whatever is attached.

Injuries and fatalities in vehicle recovery are overwhelmingly caused by components released under load rather than by vehicle movement.

Everyone should be well clear of the line and never between or beside the vehicles during a pull.

Damping the rope with a heavy blanket or a purpose-made damper reduces how far a failed component travels and is standard practice.

No. Transport tie-down and lashing eyes are designed to secure a stationary vehicle, not to withstand recovery loads - and they are routinely mistaken for recovery points.

Lashing points are engineered for the modest, distributed loads of securing a vehicle during shipping.

They are frequently thin brackets bolted into light structure and are not rated for dynamic loading.

They often look substantial and are located exactly where somebody looking for a recovery point would look.

Under a recovery load they bend, tear out of their mounting, or fail at the weld, releasing the load.

The vehicle handbook identifies the designated recovery points; where a vehicle has none, it should be recovered by lifting or by a recovery operator, not by improvising a pull.

It is generally intended for light, straight-line recovery on a hard surface, and its limits are stated in the handbook - it is not a snatch recovery point.

Many vehicles carry a threaded eye that screws into a captive mounting behind a bumper cover.

It is designed for pulling a vehicle onto a recovery truck or moving it a short distance on a firm surface.

It is not designed for kinetic or snatch recovery, and the mounting behind it is often modest.

It must also be fully screwed in - a partly engaged thread has a small fraction of the strength and strips under load.

The handbook states what it is for, and that statement should be taken as the limit rather than a suggestion.

Before every use, for cuts, abrasion, deformation, corrosion and any sign of previous overload - and rated equipment should carry its rating visibly.

Straps and ropes are inspected along their full length for cuts, abrasion, chemical damage and UV degradation.

Any strap with cuts to the load-bearing fibres, or that has been shock-loaded to failure elsewhere, is withdrawn rather than repaired.

Shackles are checked for deformation, thread damage and correct pin, and a bent shackle is scrap.

Recovery points are checked for cracks, elongation of the bolt holes and corrosion around the mounting.

Ratings must be legible; unmarked equipment of unknown provenance has no place in a recovery, since the whole discipline depends on knowing the limits.

It is legally restricted in most jurisdictions, and it is inherently risky because the towed vehicle usually has no working brakes or steering assistance.

An engine that is not running means no servo assistance for the brakes and, on most vehicles, no power steering.

The driver of the towed vehicle needs far greater effort for both, and has no engine braking at all.

Most jurisdictions regulate rope and chain towing on public roads - distance between vehicles, marking of the link, signage, and sometimes prohibiting it entirely.

Rigid tow poles are safer than ropes because they prevent the towed vehicle running into the towing one, but they are still subject to local rules.

For a fleet, a recovery contract is usually both safer and cheaper than the consequences of one bad rope tow.

Rated equipment matched to the vehicles, and trained people - recovery is a competence, not a piece of kit.

Match the equipment ratings to the heaviest vehicle likely to need recovery, with an appropriate margin over its laden weight.

Carry rated shackles, a suitable strap or rope, a damper, and gloves, and keep them together so the set is not broken up.

Record the recovery points for each vehicle in the fleet, since they differ and are not always obvious.

Train the people who will use it, particularly on keeping bystanders clear and on recognising when a recovery is beyond the equipment.

Set a clear policy on when to stop and call a recovery operator - most serious recovery incidents happen after somebody decided to try once more.