Driving Awareness

Driving to a distant territory in your motorhome can be thrilling. Taking in new geographic wonders, finding new paths to explore, creating memories – it’s what RVing is all about! Some people truly enjoy getting lost and caught up in a new area, and I’m one of them! I enjoy exploring new places, but some people don’t find joy in this. Some people find frustration in getting lost in an unknown place. Below we’ve listed a few tips on how to conquer the unknown to ensure an enjoyable ride.

Lane Changes

A few years ago in the southeast, a bus driver from a New England state was passing through with a load of youth baseball players on their way to a tournament. He was driving at night and was not paying attention to the signs indicating a lane change and was unfamiliar with the concept of exits being on the left hand side of the highway. Unfortunately, he found himself driving right off the exit and continuing over the bridge.

This sort of tragic accident happens everywhere to travelers new to the rules of their destination. It can be avoided! It takes observant vigilance but there are also a couple of hints to keep in mind. In most cities, lanes reduce from 2 to 1 or 3 to 2. A motorhome is too large to quickly dart across lanes last minute so it’s important to watch for signs. Sitting up higher than a regular car can help keep you looking far enough ahead to plan for such a change.

Never assume that there are no cars around or behind you and just switch lanes. Make sure to use your signal and offer an adequate amount of time for others to notice it. The highway is a hot spot for speeding. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t going to be there quickly.

Personal Space

Driving at night through a city can be less congestive than during business hours but not everyone can be driving that late. Traffic during the daylight hours can easily give any driver a headache. Most people are rushing to get by and do not want to be held up by driving behind an RV. Even though they can go around you, it will beneficial to aware of what is going on around you as much as possible. It’s not uncommon for drivers to try and cut in front of your motorhome because they believe it will be going slow anyway. Due to this erratic driving behavior, keep a few cars distance between you and the vehicle in front of you at all times. It takes an RV longer to stop and impatient drivers might not take that into consideration.

There is a lot to driving and it takes skill and open-mindedness. If you are an experienced RVer, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Driving a vehicle of this size and mass is an art form, truly. For those of you starting out – it gets easier with time! Just be careful and watch for changes on the road and you’ll be pro before you know it. Do you have any tips you’d like to add? Let us know in the comments below!