Top 7 RV & Fifth Wheel Accident Causes
RV and trailer homes are growing in popularity by the minute because it's an excellent way to spend your vacation with your family but there are many people that aren't experienced driving larger vehicles and they might get into an accident. To prevent this, we put together a list of the top 7 RV accident causes and how to properly avoid them.
Driving fast increases the odds of getting into an accident with your RV. The RV accidents statistics show that the chances grow exponentially if the weather is rainy or windy and you're speeding at the same time. Another thing that increases your chances of getting into an accident when you're going faster than you should is the fact that it's much harder to stop if someone in front of you hits the brakes all of a sudden. Following the speed limit is the safest way to prevent getting into an accident of this sort.
When drivers are on the road for longer periods of time they get sleepy and they are often even more dangerous than drunk drivers. Many RV drivers aren't getting enough rest during their stops because of where they choose to stop and the noisy surroundings of the area. If they opt to go to an RV camp to rest they wouldn't run into problems with being sleepy on the road. According to some rv accidents statistics this is the second most common cause for an accident.
When there are strong winds the chances of getting into an accident increase. The wind by itself won't be strong enough to flip over your entire sturdy RV but lately, the RV's are made to be more lightweight to lower their cost so they are more prone to accidents of this sort. Combined with driving above the speed limit it's an accident waiting to happen. To avoid this, make sure you get an RV by a trusted manufacturer that builds them strong enough to withstand highway winds.
If you overload your RV you can get into an accident much easier and if you get into one it will be entirely your fault. It's unlawful to overload your RV and if you have insurance, they might refuse to pay for the damage. Another reason that accidents happen is because an RV is not loaded properly and the load is uneven. This makes the entire RV pull in one direction and it may cause a deadly accident especially on the highway. To prevent this make sure you use a checklist and prepare your RV the right way before a trip.
Because the RV is much bigger and heavier than regular cars, it takes longer to stop when you hit the break. This causes many drivers that aren't experienced to get into accidents because they didn't start breaking at the right moment. Being aware of your surroundings and breaking on time is very important to prevent an accident of this sort. Turning with an RV is also much different than doing it with a car because it's much larger. You would have to go much slower and the turn would have to be much wider. Because turning with an RV is quite tricky and different from regular cars, if you're inexperienced, you should consider practicing before deciding to go on a longer trip.
RV's have some blind spots that may or may not be covered with cameras. To make sure you prevent an accident you should go outside and take a look at the rear before you start reversing. When changing lanes, keep in mind that you're driving a much longer vehicle than a standard car so take that into account when looking at the rearview mirror before starting to turn.
Because RVs are taller, their center of gravity is higher and they are easier to roll over. If you're going over the speed limit and you're driving recklessly the chances of rolling over your RV are increased. This usually happens above 55 miles per hour but in general, it's not recommended to drive over 60 mph.
Knowing what you can expect on the road makes it much easier to prevent an accident and prevention is much better than getting into an accident and fixing your RV afterward considering your insurance covers the repairs. So be wary of the RV accident causes we explored above and make sure you try to prevent them by driving properly and staying safe on the road.
Driving too fast is the most common one of all RV accident causes.
Driving fast increases the odds of getting into an accident with your RV. The RV accidents statistics show that the chances grow exponentially if the weather is rainy or windy and you're speeding at the same time. Another thing that increases your chances of getting into an accident when you're going faster than you should is the fact that it's much harder to stop if someone in front of you hits the brakes all of a sudden. Following the speed limit is the safest way to prevent getting into an accident of this sort.
Fatigue
When drivers are on the road for longer periods of time they get sleepy and they are often even more dangerous than drunk drivers. Many RV drivers aren't getting enough rest during their stops because of where they choose to stop and the noisy surroundings of the area. If they opt to go to an RV camp to rest they wouldn't run into problems with being sleepy on the road. According to some rv accidents statistics this is the second most common cause for an accident.
Strong Winds
When there are strong winds the chances of getting into an accident increase. The wind by itself won't be strong enough to flip over your entire sturdy RV but lately, the RV's are made to be more lightweight to lower their cost so they are more prone to accidents of this sort. Combined with driving above the speed limit it's an accident waiting to happen. To avoid this, make sure you get an RV by a trusted manufacturer that builds them strong enough to withstand highway winds.
Overloaded or Unevenly Loaded RV
If you overload your RV you can get into an accident much easier and if you get into one it will be entirely your fault. It's unlawful to overload your RV and if you have insurance, they might refuse to pay for the damage. Another reason that accidents happen is because an RV is not loaded properly and the load is uneven. This makes the entire RV pull in one direction and it may cause a deadly accident especially on the highway. To prevent this make sure you use a checklist and prepare your RV the right way before a trip.
Miscalculated Stops and Turns
Because the RV is much bigger and heavier than regular cars, it takes longer to stop when you hit the break. This causes many drivers that aren't experienced to get into accidents because they didn't start breaking at the right moment. Being aware of your surroundings and breaking on time is very important to prevent an accident of this sort. Turning with an RV is also much different than doing it with a car because it's much larger. You would have to go much slower and the turn would have to be much wider. Because turning with an RV is quite tricky and different from regular cars, if you're inexperienced, you should consider practicing before deciding to go on a longer trip.
Blind Spots
RV's have some blind spots that may or may not be covered with cameras. To make sure you prevent an accident you should go outside and take a look at the rear before you start reversing. When changing lanes, keep in mind that you're driving a much longer vehicle than a standard car so take that into account when looking at the rearview mirror before starting to turn.
Rollover
Because RVs are taller, their center of gravity is higher and they are easier to roll over. If you're going over the speed limit and you're driving recklessly the chances of rolling over your RV are increased. This usually happens above 55 miles per hour but in general, it's not recommended to drive over 60 mph.
Knowing what you can expect on the road makes it much easier to prevent an accident and prevention is much better than getting into an accident and fixing your RV afterward considering your insurance covers the repairs. So be wary of the RV accident causes we explored above and make sure you try to prevent them by driving properly and staying safe on the road.
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