Common causes of RV accidents and valid guides to prevent them

Recreational vehicles or RV Of any type like motor homes, camper vans, toy haulers, etc. are known to be popular among travel lovers. Many couples buy RVs and set out to explore the world on wheels. But, the risk of RV accidents are real and dangerous. These accidents can turn a full-fledged happy adventure into a scary nightmare.

The vehicles are vulnerable to certain common problems including poor maneuverability, improper braking distance, blind spots, overload, etc. Though the federal laws suggests the vehicles to pass crash test yet accidents occur.

Let’s look at some statistics of RV accidents before we come to the common causes:

A report was released in 2003 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration where it was mentioned that over 70,000 people met RV accidents.

Again, they reported 75,000 injuries in 2012 because of RV crashes.

As per an analysis of Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 212 people lost their life in fatal RV accidents in between 2000 and 2007.

Let us count the most common causes of RV accidents:

• Drivers have no experience.
• Over-speeding
• Drivers get tired.
• Senior drivers
• Runaway trailers
• Excessive loads
• Drivers can’t take turns calculatedly.
• High winds
• Higher center of gravity leads to sudden rollover.
• Drivers fail to calculate stopping distance.

Other causes:

Drivers may fail to see another vehicle moving too close to the RV.

Senior citizens driving RVs may have weakening vision and other physical issues.

Now, suggesting the ways to prevent RV accidents:

• Never exceed the recommended weight limit.
• It’s is better to use a backup camera.
• Always inspect the appliances of your RV before starting a journey.
• Make your RV ready to face harsh winter.
• Check the seals of your RV regularly.
• Refrain from driving too close to trees.
• Do not park your vehicle extremely close to trees.
• Lubricate the vehicle’s slide-out rails.
• Keep your RV’s roof covered as much as possible.
• Learn to level and stabilize your RV.
• Stay away from competing with other vehicles.
• Check if everything is secured in the vehicle before starting driving.
• Open the vents
• Never leave the RV awning down.

It is not simple to find out who or what caused an RV accident. It may be the driver, or faulty appliances, or weather and road conditions. Again, RV drivers often make mistakes by reacting to the weather and road conditions just like driving a small family car. It is better to get help from the experts to avoid mistakes and misfortune while RVing.