RV Driving and Weather Safety

As you map out your seasonal travel destinations each year, the weather maps out its course and makes seasonal changes of its own. This applies to you because as you know, a change in the weather brings changes on the road. Many times, these multiple weather conditions will force you to make necessary tweaks and adjustments to your vehicle. Many times these adjustments can be as simple and minor as slowing down. However in other circumstances, the situation calls for a more involved approach. Knowledge is truly your greatest power here and being able to know what to do can help get a safer, more pleasant ride out of your motor coach.

Of all the unpredictable and common driving conditions, wind probably ranks at the top. Different vehicles though, will react to wind in different ways. Remember, the more surface area you have, the more space the wind is pushing against your vehicle. So following this rule, motor coaches are the ones that will get pushed around a bit by the wind. You may have felt a sensation at one time or another when approaching an overpass, the direction of wind shifts dramatically. To keep this at a minimum, anticipate this change. When you come close to the start of the overpass, don’t put up as much resistance against the wind and the change of wind direction will not seem so violent on the coach when the wind does decide to shift.

Your vehicle can also be affected by passing semi-trailers or other large vehicles. When the semi passes you, let’s say on the left, you will feel a burst of air fist push you to the right and then suck you back to the left. You can minimize this by steering to the right of your lane and the let the wind take you back inside. HOWEVER: you should NOT try this movement unless you are in the outside lane.

Rain is another main weather condition you’ll find out on the road. Contrary to most people’s beliefs however, the most dangerous part of the rainy condition is the first 15 minutes. This is due to the fact that the surface of the road has already taken in so much various liquids that the rain is just pushed off creating a slippery surface. Again, the solution to this condition is to give more following distance and to drive slower. As you probably know, motor coaches aren’t easy to stop. For better visibility, you should drive with your headlights on. Also, make slow and decisive movements on the wheels and brakes.

That isn’t the only issue with wet conditions though. Hydroplaning is a little known problem often overlooked. This occurs when the rain begins to create films of water on the road. Your vehicle’s wheels will actually rise above the road and slides on the water itself. This now makes your steering wheel and brakes as useful as your air horn. Although hydroplaning usually happens at 50+ miles per hour, it can happen at slower speeds with worn out tires. Pretty much the only ways you can prevent hydroplaning are by changing your tires regularly, slowing down, and trying to drive in the shallowest waters on the road.

The last main problem with driving in wet conditions is a hazardous condition that affects your vehicle itself. It is called “wet brakes”. It happens when water is pushed up into your brake system. Drum brakes house this problem more often than disc brake do. There is a specific way to relieve this problem. While you are driving, you should check every 10 minutes on your brakes. Press down just enough so that you feel the vehicle starting to slow down. If you find that they aren’t functioning properly, keep holding the pressure on the brakes down but just keep driving with the accelerator. Keep this going for around 15 minutes.

Another common weather condition on the road is fog. If you watch the evening news, chances are you’ve seen accidents where fog cuts visibility and causes a crash. An investigation done recently by 20/20 on ABC suggests when a driver entered the fog at 65 miles per hour; he was already traveling at 85 or 90 miles per hour within 10 minutes. It was found that once the drivers lost all reference points, they were too scared and busy to look at the instruments and accidentally revved their speeds dramatically.

Your key weapon in the fight against getting stuck in the fog is observation. Take a rest near some water at dusk or before dawn to see how fast it turns to fog. This can be your main clue in estimating how long you have before the actual fog sets in. You can also tune your CB radio into a “trucker station” and listen to what they are saying. When fog is spotted by a trucker, they will go on the radio and warn everyone about it. Listening to where these “trouble spots” are can make the difference between whiteout and clear visibility.

If unfortunate events do take place and you are caught in the fog, drive slowly and defensively. Take observations form any professional drivers or truckers around you and try to mimic some of their movements. Try using your emergency flashers if necessary to help define your positions to others. Don’t use them when you are on the side of the road however, you may be mistaken for a slow-moving vehicle.

One other dangerous weather condition is black ice. Although not well known, this can be the most dangerous of them all. It occurs when non-evaporated moisture still in the nooks and crannies on the road freezes over creating a very slippery surface to drive on. A sure sign of this is when your headlights no longer illuminate the road in front of you. This is caused by the ice refracting the light and sending it upward and away from the road. All these conditions though, snow, ice, slush, aren’t begging you to drive through them. You don’t have to take unnecessary risks. If you feel at all uneasy with the situation, find a rest stop and wait it out. Don’t rush along with your head down. If you are caught in these situations however, just follow those driving techniques aforementioned for the other conditions.

Remember, although you can’t control the weather, you yourself can change with it. Make smart moves and follow these tips to ensure your driving safety and happiness.

-Reevee.com Staff