6 RV Safety Tips

 

RVing has become an increasingly popular way to travel and vacation, but it also includes a number of potential safety hazards that should be understood before starting out on your RV experience.  Just because you can drive a car doesn't mean you'll be immediately adept at driving a motor coach or towing a trailer.  Let's take a look at some important RV safety tips geared to helping you make the most of your RV travels while remaining both safe and sound.

Six RV Safety Tips

1. Whether you're renting an RV or already own a rig, the first and most important safety tip is to thoroughly get to know your RV.   You'll need to do some research so that you know the height of your rig, its weight and, especially if it's a trailer, it's weight capacity.   This means how much stuff you can add to your RV and still remain under the manufacturer's weight capacity recommendation.  You'll also need to know how to distribute the weight in your coach or trailer.
2. Driving an RV is more like driving a big-rig truck than driving a car and the only way to get used to driving something this size is to practice, practice, practice.  Before even purchasing your first RV you should rent a model you like for the day to see how it feels.  You might try this with several different models until you find one you really like.  Lots of maneuvers in an RV are different than you're use to in your car or pickup, including accelerating, braking, passing other vehicles, using only your mirrors to see behind your rig and, most importantly, backing up.
3. Your RV insurance and emergency roadside assistance should provide you with complete coverage.  If you're pulling a trailer and your pulling vehicle breaks down and needs to be towed, the trailer should also be towed so it's not left unattended on the roadside.
4. You need to monitor your tire pressure regularly, on your motorhome or on your trailer and pulling vehicle.  Tire blowouts are the reason for many RV accidents.  Under- or over- inflated tires are an accident waiting to happen.  Consider purchasing an automatic tire monitoring system.
5. Don't speed.  Your RV tires are rated not only for a maximum weight but also for a maximum speed.  Consult your tires' sidewalls.
6. Get enough rest and don't drive for too many hours on any given day.