Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the
zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of
the United States in a recreational vehicle.
The RV Driving Experience
We all just want to get along - after all, the 'R'
in RV is for recreation! Some of the rules of the road are written
into statute, some are matters of habit and custom, and others are
simple matters of implementing the Golden Rule. Here are some ideas
for the RV driver to keep in mind.
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Mountain Driving
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Courtesy on the road
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The Golden Rule - do to others what you would
have them do to you - is a good place to start when driving your
RV. Put yourself in the shoes of the other person and think of how
they would feel. Avoid casting judgment or speculating about the
motivations of others on the road. Be courteous. Let others be who
they want to be and not what you want them to be.
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Speed traps and
traffic tickets
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Traffic tickets are intended to promote safe
driving but they are also a significant source of revenue for many
localities. You should know your rights and responsibilities and
what you can or should do if you are subject to citation for
violation of traffic laws.
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The physics of RV motion
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Most RV's are big heavy things that are hard to
get moving, hard to stop, and hard to see around. What does this
mean to the driver?
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Geometry
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Plowing the road, running over curbs, and
similar ills can befall you if you don't keep in mind the geometry
of your rig.
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Backing your trailer
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Its easy going forward as the trailer just
follows along. But when trying to go backwards, the trailer seems
to take on a mind of its own.
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Running the road
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Highway hypnosis, Blood clots, fitness,
alertness, distractions and all those things that make a road trip
something special.
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The Other Driver
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We aren't always alone on the road and many
times it is this sharing of the road that can create hazardous
situations that require our most careful attention. Failing to
judge other driver's path or speed is one of the top ten causes of
accidents.
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Hits and Tips
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A collection of hints and tips for safer and
more comfortable driving
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SNUZE
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The Sierra Nevada Airstreams News Bulletin
archives for driving related topics.
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Be Safe - Follow UPS's Five Seeing
Habits
Aim High
In Steering: Look as far down the road as possible to
uncover important traffic information to make appropriate decisions.
Get The
Big Picture: Maintain the proper following distance so you
can comfortably determine the true hazards around your vehicle.
Don't tailgate others.
Keep
Your Eyes Moving: Scan - don't stare. Constantly shift you
eyes while driving. Active eyes keep up with changing traffic
conditions.
Leave
Yourself An Out: Be prepared. Surround your vehicle with
space in front and at least on one side to escape conflict.
Make Sure They See You:
Communicate in traffic with your horn, lights and signals to
establish eye contact with motorists and pedestrians. Be reasonably
sure of people's intentions.
Causes of accidents re Motercycle
Action Group
· Transport Research Laboratory Report No. 323:
"A new system for recording contributory factors in road
accidents", found that 'on-the-spot' analysis carried out by
police officers at some 2,800 road accident scenes showed that only
4.3% of these accidents had excessive speed as the primary causal
factor - usually accidents involving loss of control in built up
areas.
· TRL323 delves deeply into road accident
causation, and goes on to establish that "excessive speed"
represents only 7% of the (up to four) contributory factors per
accident. It also concluded that in accidents in which pedestrians
were seriously or fatally injured, the primary responsibility for the
accident lay with the pedestrian in 84% of cases.
· TRL Report 323 also showed (as is already well
established) that the vast majority of road accident causes are
observation-, and judgment-based: road users either failed altogether
to observe a potentially hazardous situation developing, observed its
development but did not perceive the hazard, or perceived the hazard
but reacted too late or inappropriately to it.
The Top Ten Causes of Accidents
1. Failure to judge other driver's path or speed
10.7%
2. Behavior - careless, reckless or thoughtless driving
8.8%
3. Not paying attention 8%
4. Looked but did not see
7.5%
5. Excessive speed 7.3%
6. Lack of judgment of own
path 6.3%
7. Failed to look 6.2%
8. Following too close
4.1%
9. Drink driving 3.8%
10. Slippery Road 3%
Resources
Million Mile Secrets - Roadside
Assistance Tips for Your Next Road Trip
http://www.rvsafety.com/state.htm
provides a rundown of state towing laws.
California's Defensive
techniques for all drivers -
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648pt8.htm
Dashboard Dining - http://www.rvsafety.com/dashboar.htm
Gas Buddy - latest gas prices - http://www.gasbuddy.com/
(03sp10)
http://www.catscale.com/
provides an index for stations that can weigh your rig.
Nevada
Topographic Maps - www.topowest.com
How
To Tow a Trailer By Miles Cook Date Posted 02-16-2001
(Edmunds)
Safety
Tips by Interstate West
RV
and Trailer Safety from the California DMV
Hitching
up your Trailer by Not Just Parts
Tow
Tips by Discount Hitch and Truck Accessories
UPS
Gives Tips on Safe Driving To Motorists . how to emulate the
safety record of those big brown trucks:
RV
and Tow Vehicle Weights
Packing.org
Concealed Carry (CCW), Concealed Weapon Permit, Concealed Weapon Law
: Home
ESD
Journal - gas pump fire hazards
Refueling
Fires - ESD Journal - The ESD & Electrostatics Magazine
Speedway
SuperAmerica: Refueling Guidelines
Speedway
SuperAmerica: Static Electricity Hazards
http://metalab.unc.edu/rdu/
ExxonMobil
Recommends that Consumers Observe all Posted Safety Warning while
Pumping Gas
ESD
Journal - The ESD & Electrostatics Magazine
Car
and Driver Magazine : Regular or Premium? : November 2001
Trailer
Hitch Hidden Hitch HOW TO TOW SAFELY
fuel
fire
Dodge
Towing Guide - Terms & Conditions
Foremost
Insurance Group
Sway
Recreational
Vehicles and Trailers-Loading/Overloading Information for RVs and
Trailers
Dashboard
Dining
Recreational
Vehicles and Trailers-Defensive Driving Techniques for All Drivers
Weapons transport
There are paranoid activists who a pushing very
hard to eliminate anything that might possibly be considered a
weapon. You do not want to have a firearm in your vehicle if you
travel to Canada or Mexico and, even in the United States, you will
want to make sure any weapons you carry are properly stowed. A
resource to check is http://www.packing.org/
Sierra
Nevada Airstreams: Destinations
- Owners - Community
- Family - Memories
- Education - WBCCI
Unit - Quicksand -
Commerce -
Support
our site, Donations accepted thanks to the Amazon.com
TechComm
Labs (tm)
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note:
all photographs on this site are for personal, private, and
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individual photographers. See our
policy. Disclaimer:
any advice or suggestion presented is provided for informational
purposes only and is correct and accurate only to the best of our
knowledge at the time it was written. Anyone using such information
does so at their own risk. Errors or omissions may exist and
additional sources of information or appropriately licensed or
qualified personnel should be consulted in deciding a course of
action. We assume no liability or obligation by providing this
information and warn any users of this information that they do so at
their own risk. All links or references to commercial vendors or
other sources of information and equipment do not intend or imply or
convey any endorsement of that source or the product. They are
provided strictly for informational purposes to illustrate the topic
at hand. Sierra Nevada
Airstreams Enjoyment
of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra
Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States is a
personal, nonprofit,
noncommercial web site intended for educational and recreational use
only. This site is supported by volunteer effort and contributions.