RV Travel Plans?
Whether you are in a new RV, or you’ve spent years traveling in one, RV safety is one of the most important factors in a vehicle of that size. Many things can bring risk to your journey on the road, leading to various cautions required all throughout your driving practice and everyday activities. So, we have some key RV safety tips available here to help always ensure a safe trip.
Do a Pre-Trip RV Safety Inspection
Starting with a RV safety inspection, you can prepare for your trip. You can easily find a checklist online to help locate some key points of safety for driving and staying inside your RV. This can include the check of basic areas around and inside your RV like tires, brakes, fluids, slide-outs, and interior functionalities. It is important to ensure that you will be safe both while driving your vehicle and staying in it overnight. Be sure not to leave before you are always confident in your safety inside your RV.
Know the Height of the RV
Given the height of RVs and the need for caution of height clearance when pulling under any overhangs, many people tape to a window for an easy glance. It is important to beware of your full height, so be sure before launching on your next trip to measure the height of your RV including any items that you have attached to the top. This can help you understand fully your ability to drive through any overpass or overhang that covers something like a gas station.
Even more, with the height and length of your RV both being large, it is helpful to have a spotter when backing up. When you need to get into a camping spot or are simply trying to get into an open parking spot, a spotter can help with the safety of navigating into the best location to help access all areas of your RV and help everyone easily enter and exit the vehicle.
Load the RV Properly
Are you a part-time or full-time RVer? How much do you really need to pack? You should load your RV based on the type of RV you have. If you have a travel trailer, there is a 60/40 distribution rule about the placement of weight from the front to the back. In a full RV, it is important to check your vehicle manuals to confirm how much weight each axle can carry safely. That can help you distribute your materials evenly throughout the RV to help make sure that driving will be smoother and safer along the way.
Drive About 200 Miles Daily & Stop Every 2 Hours
RV safety starts with the driver. Another important consideration for safety is to avoid the overuse of your RV. It is helpful to keep your daily driving to only about 200 miles, or maybe a little more. Additionally, it is helpful to stop every couple of hours to let everything cool down. Given the effort and stress that it can take to drive an RV, there is no need to tire yourself out excessively. So, be sure to take breaks throughout the day to refresh, and end your traveling each day with plenty of time to get a good night’s sleep to be well-rested for the following day’s travels.
Have a Source of Clean Water
Because there won’t always be a clean water source to hook up your RV to in a camping ground or other location, it is helpful to pack a clean water source. This can be as simple as the large bottle of filtered water that often serves offices and other locations with clean water. Clean water can be connected to your sink, but it is important to ensure that everything is set up to run properly when you are parked at one of your camping locations.
Trust your gut
As you plan for your RV trip, it is important to trust your instincts. Being aware of your surroundings is always a smart idea. There is much to consider when both driving your RV and parking it for overnight camping. As you have inspected your RV and learned the proper maintenance and care of your vehicle over time, you will also likely grow to know it quite well. Therefore, your caution and RV safety will become more of an instinct with driving slowly and taking careful, wide turns properly as needed. While it may take some time to learn both the driving and maintenance of your RV, it will eventually become your gut instinct and regular practice.
Get Insurance Specific to Your RV
Even more, the insurance of your RV is important based on the specific type of vehicle you have. Whether you have a full-sized, drivable RV or a travel trailer that is towed behind your truck, it is important to ensure that you have it insured for coverage to meet all aspects of your trips. So, be sure to reach out to your agent with any questions about the various details of your RV and the travels that will be made to determine the proper insurance needed for quality coverage to keep everyone safe during your trips.
