Tips for Safely Maintaining and Driving Your RV
The RV is a great way to travel the highways and see America’s hidden treasures and her well-known venues. Because what’s not to love about loading up the RV and having a home away from home? However, while RVing is a great way to travel the roads, it involves additional risk factors not as common to smaller vehicles.
Driving an RV takes more road awareness, no matter how good a driver you are. After all, it is a bigger vehicle and comes with its own set of challenges and peculiarities.
Safe Driving Tips:
Take your time. One of the most important things you can do when driving an RV is to slow down! Your venue, campsite, etc., will still be there when you arrive.- Get some practice. Driving and maneuvering an RV is more involved than steering a car or even a larger truck. Find an open area and practice backing up, parking, turning, and beyond so you can set up in an RV campground with ease. If possible, do some practicing on a windy day so you can learn how to handle your RV and be prepared for trailer sway.
- Know the specs. Be sure you are fully aware of how long, wide, and how high your RV is- before you misjudge and hit a guardrail, underpass, or another road element.
Know the Vehicle Limitations:
- There’s no such thing as a tight turn. An RV has a wide turn radius, so give yourself plenty of room and not try to cut the corner. As RVs often have multiple blind spots, you risk running over curbs, objects, an animal, or a person! Moving slowly and allowing for plenty of space will prevent accidents.
- Have a co-pilot – GPS and mapping programs are great and make travel easy. But when it comes to parking your RV, having someone who can get out and assist you with directions and space is invaluable.
- Keep excess to a minimum. No matter the type of RV you have, it is crucial to know how much you put into it. This includes ‘items’ like the number of occupants, water, cargo, and other items stored in the RV. Too much weight will affect how quickly you can get up to speed, how fast you can stop, and the amount of wear and tear put on the RV.
- Keep your distance. Due to the length and size of an RV, it takes more room to make a stop. Ideally, keep at least a vehicle length between you and the driver in front of you. As much as possible, plan your actions ahead of time so you can slow down sooner and more safely.
- Use runaway ramps. No matter how much planning you do, there may be times that you cannot slow down or stop. In those situations, a runaway ramp is a blessing. Should you need to use a ramp, let your passengers know, then signal to the drivers that you are not in complete control by using your horn and hazard lights.
Be Safe, Start to Finish
Of course, before setting out on any road trip, it is important to be sure your vehicle is road-ready. One way to do that is to visit your authorized AMSOIL dealership, The House of Syn, to find the perfect synthetic oil, fuel additive, and more for your particular RV. By ensuring your RV is ready to hit the road, you can soon be on your adventure and making memories.
So… where will you be visiting this year? Have fun and be safe wherever you go- both on and off the road!
