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You never know what you’ll encounter when traveling on the open road. Whether resulting from a simple mistake or a careless driver, a dangerous situation can develop in the blink of an eye.
Recently, one Class A driver made a significant, easily avoidable mistake. Instead, they risked major damage to their RV and endangered the lives of others on the road.
The best way to learn is from the mistakes of others. So let’s see what happened to this driver and how you can avoid making a similar error while RVing.
RVer Leaves Storage Door Open While Driving
One Reddit user recently posted a video of an experience they had while driving. The RVer of a large Class A motorhome failed to latch an under-storage compartment before driving.
While traveling to their destination, the storage compartment flung open and created a dangerous situation.
The storage doors on RVs aren’t exactly flimsy or lightweight. Having a door fly open while an RV travels down the road is extremely dangerous.
Not only could this have struck another driver, but if there had happened to be someone riding a bicycle, motorcycle, or standing nearby, the situation could have become deadly.
Filmer Says Pots and Pans Were Flying Out
As if traveling down the road with an open storage compartment wasn’t enough, it was only a matter of time before things spilled out onto the road. The Reddit user stated that he almost hit a crock pot shortly before he started recording.
Pots and pans flew out onto the road, and the unsuspecting motorhome driver continued down the highway.
The video ends before the situation was resolved. However, we’re almost positive that the RVer was in for quite the surprise when they realized what had transpired behind them.
We certainly would have experienced a range of emotions and said a few choice words had we been the motorhome drivers in this situation.
How Can This Happen?
Unfortunately, this motorhome driver’s mistake is relatively easy to make. It’s very easy to get excited while packing up for an adventure and overlook something as simple as securing the storage compartments.
If a latch doesn’t close completely, the vibrations from driving can cause it to loosen. If this occurs, it’s only a matter of time before a door flings open and the contents of your storage compartment end up on the highway.
This is why it’s essential that you walk around your RV and thoroughly inspect your rig before hitting the road.
We recommend locking any storage compartments when traveling. This can serve as an extra layer of protection to avoid a situation like the one this Class A driver found themselves experiencing.
What to Do If You See an RV With a Problem
If you see an RV with a problem, you must take action. There’s a good chance that they haven’t noticed the issue and will continue driving.
You need to get on the driver’s side of the vehicle, flag them down, and honk your horn. Play a quick game of Charades with them as you try to communicate the issue.
While it may be challenging or nearly impossible to communicate the exact issue, it’ll likely help them take notice and stop.
You can always pull over with them and tell them what you noticed on their vehicle or bring an issue to their attention.
However, ignoring a serious situation is never a good idea. You could put the driver, their rig, and other motorists in danger.
What to Do If You Make a Mistake and Need to Pull Over
How you handle the situation is important if you’re the driver who made a mistake. You could make the problem substantially worse in your efforts to resolve it. So remain calm and follow these steps.
Put Your Hazard Lights On
The first thing you need to do is put your hazard lights on. This helps alert other drivers that you’re experiencing an issue or emergency.
You’re likely changing speeds quickly during these situations, so your hazard lights can help provide an additional source of warning.
If you’re unsure how to turn on the flashers on your vehicle, now is a good time to learn.
Keep in Mind: Unsure if a Class A motorhome is right for you? Before you decide, you need to see The Best Class A Motorhomes in 2022
See If You Can Make It to the Next Exit
Next, you need to assess the situation and look for your next opportunity to exit. If there is an exit ahead, judge whether or not you can safely make it to the exit or if you need to stop sooner. It’s safer to get off the highway and away from heavy traffic.
If you’ve ever broken down on the side of the road, having traffic buzz by you doesn’t make the situation any easier. It can cause a distraction and be hazardous for everyone.
If Not, Come to a Stop on the Right Shoulder Slowly
If you cannot make it to an exit, you need to find a place on the right shoulder. Use your turn signal to indicate that you’ll exit the roadway and slow down to a stop on the shoulder.
If you’ve had your flashers on, drivers will likely expect you to pull over.
Importantly, get your vehicle completely off of the roadway. You don’t want any part of your vehicle sticking out into traffic.
An unsuspecting driver may not give you enough room and could easily clip your mirror or scrape the side of your vehicle.
Watch Traffic Before Exiting Vehicle
Then before jumping out to inspect the situation immediately, watch what’s around you. You must remain calm and in control of your emotions.
Watch traffic before exiting your vehicle and look for a clear opportunity to get out safely and make your way to the storage compartment.
A break in the traffic may only last for a handful of seconds. You won’t have time to dilly-dally when addressing the situation. Resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Fix Your Issue and Enter the Road Safely
Finally, address the issue as quickly as possible. You don’t want to spend more time on the side of the road than you have to, especially on a busy highway. Once you fix the issue, you’ll need to enter the road safely.
To re-enter the road, use your turn signal to alert other drivers of your need to get back onto the highway.
Then get up to speed as quickly as possible, especially on an interstate or other high-speed roads. Use the shoulder to gain speed so you can smoothly transition into traffic without causing any issues for other drivers.
Keep in Mind: Handle any disastrous situation by creating The Best RV Emergency Kit!
Prevent Panic With an RV Departure Checklist
We learned a long time ago the importance of having an RV departure checklist and using it. We believe in having an RV departure checklist so much that we created one and offer it to other RVers.
To keep you and your RV safe, you should go through this list before every trip.
A departure checklist helps ensure you don’t overlook big or small tasks you’ll need to complete. You need to complete certain tasks in a specific order, and others don’t matter when they get done.
Don’t overlook something silly. Using a checklist helps you avoid making a mistake that could cost you money, become dangerous, or affect your future camping adventures.
A checklist can help you to have a smooth RVing experience.
Don’t Be This Guy: Check Before Every RV Trip
Unless you want to be the star of a Reddit video, do the proper checks before every RV trip. Failure to do them can put you and your RV in a dangerous situation.
Doing the proper checks only takes a few minutes, but those few minutes can help you avoid making a costly mistake. If doing your checks helps you avoid a single mistake, they’re worth doing.
Have you ever had an issue while driving that required you to pull over on a highway?
We carry a small dry erase board on our rig, so we can write a message and hold it against the window so other travellers can read it. Use few words, fresh marker, and big letters – such as STEPS, or ANTENNA UP. The challenge is getting next to them so they can see it! We tend to travel slower, it’s amazing how many RVers are in such a hurry! It’s those in a rush who tend to make these mistakes.