Moving around in the vehicle II

For some reason I couldn't reply on the original thread so I wanted to do so here...hope it's OK. ;D

Some good and quite obvious points were made about safety, but personally I would look at the situation I was in.  If on a crowed hiway at speed I think it's obvious that it's more then a good idea to sit down and wait for a cup of joe.  But if the roads were quiet, straight, speeds were moderate, etc, I think I'd get up and move about the cabin with out any fear.  Is it safe to do so?  Chances are, yes it is.  If something unexpected happens, I'm guessing I'm going to get hurt or worse.

The thing is if I wanted to really be safe I wouldn't be driving a motor home or towing a trailer.  I have to immagine it's safer to drive a big car or otherwise to be safer..if I want to be THAT safe maybe I should just stay at home.  ;D

Life is about measuring risk YOU want to be exposed to, and there are no absolutes no matter how safe you think your being.  Limiting your exposure to all risk can be kind of boring. ;D 

TwistnSHOUT said:

The thing is if I wanted to really be safe I wouldn't be driving a motor home or towing a trailer.  I have to immagine it's safer to drive a big car or otherwise to be safer..if I want to be THAT safe maybe I should just stay at home.  ;D

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Is it safe to get up and walk around a motorhome?? Probably not. Do I do it? Yeah and it's still stupid. Is it my driver's driving that's the problem? Nah, it's what that other idiot driver does.

Is it safe to drive an RV? How many times do you see or hear of an RV involved in an accident, or, better yet, an RV involved in a fatality? I don't think it's that many even with RVs a lower percentage of total vehicles on the road. I remember one RV accident in Death Valley in four years and there were tons of auto accidents. Maybe we just drive slower in our RVs? Maybe we're just more relaxed? Maybe we pay more attention to the other idiots around us? Who knows.

Wendy

>>Is it safe?<<

If you ride on a commercial bus, there are no seat-belts & you get up to go to the bathroom; On planes you get up to stretch, go to the bathroom; on trains you have no seat-belts & you get up to stretch, stroll & go to the bathroom...everyone of these can crash or derail just like your motorhome.

There are people on this forum that wouldn't be satisfied unless you were strapped into a 5-point racing harness while driving your motorhome.....Relax & enjoy your motorhome, if you want to get up & stretch, get something to eat or go to the bathroom then just do it.

Good points Terry.  One must be able to enjoy their motorhome.  If they are uncomfortable moving around while underway then don't,  On the other hand if one is comfortable moving around then go ahead you know the risks and can judge for them selves if the risk is acceptable.

wendycoke said:

Is it safe to get up and walk around a motorhome?? Probably not. Do I do it? Yeah and it's still stupid. Is it my driver's driving that's the problem? Nah, it's what that other idiot driver does.

Is it safe to drive an RV? How many times do you see or hear of an RV involved in an accident, or, better yet, an RV involved in a fatality? I don't think it's that many even with RVs a lower percentage of total vehicles on the road. I remember one RV accident in Death Valley in four years and there were tons of auto accidents. Maybe we just drive slower in our RVs? Maybe we're just more relaxed? Maybe we pay more attention to the other idiots around us? Who knows.

Wendy

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Well I don't think your stupid, you've hopefully done a quick mental risk evaluation and assumed some small risk...no biggy 8)

I wouldn't mind seeing some stats on RV accidents, I'm assuming it's higher for a number of reasons.  Maybe not, maybe people drive them in off peak hours or drive around urban area, go slower, etc.  You know what they say about assuming ;D  I do see a lot of them burned on the side of the road for what ever reason...that doesn't set to well with me ;D

Terry A. Brewer said:

>>Is it safe?<<

If you ride on a commercial bus, there are no seat-belts & you get up to go to the bathroom; On planes you get up to stretch, go to the bathroom; on trains you have no seat-belts & you get up to stretch, stroll & go to the bathroom...everyone of these can crash or derail just like your motorhome.

There are people on this forum that wouldn't be satisfied unless you were strapped into a 5-point racing harness while driving your motorhome.....Relax & enjoy your motorhome, if you want to get up & stretch, get something to eat or go to the bathroom then just do it.

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I agree and was thinking of motorcyles and other sports, motorized or not.  What about health risks such as being over weight?  I'd rather fetch a cup of joe on the busiest hiway then be 40+ pounds (I'm 39lbs over ;D ) over weight.

I'm not saying throw caution to the wind but lets be sensable out there 8)

BTW I'm glad there are REALLY careful people on this forum. 8)  They keep me on my toes and in the end I decide what's right for me  8)

Of course then there is another consideration...Twist&Shout.

If you are driving a motor home it is very unsafe to get up and move around when it's moving.

I'm sure we have all heard the urban myth about the driver who put his motor home on auto-pilot and went back to make a sandwich.

Well, that story, it seems, is a myth, many people have attempted to verify it and 100% came back and said it never happened (I would like to think that RVers are 100% smarter than the idiot in that story, appears they are)

So yes, this is a joke... Hopefully you are all laughing at the story which I'm sure you all know.

As for me.. Wife won't drive so for me moving around in a moving motor home is simply not an option. I have to pull over and park or risk... The above fictional story becoming, in part, real.

John In Detroit said:

Of course then there is another consideration...Twist&Shout.

If you are driving a motor home it is very unsafe to get up and move around when it's moving.

I'm sure we have all heard the urban myth about the driver who put his motor home on auto-pilot and went back to make a sandwich.

Well, that story, it seems, is a myth, many people have attempted to verify it and 100% came back and said it never happened (I would like to think that RVers are 100% smarter than the idiot in that story, appears they are)

So yes, this is a joke... Hopefully you are all laughing at the story which I'm sure you all know.

As for me.. Wife won't drive so for me moving around in a moving motor home is simply not an option. I have to pull over and park or risk... The above fictional story becoming, in part, real.

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Cheeze I hope it's a joke!!! ;D

Terry A. Brewer said:

If you ride on a commercial bus, there are no seat-belts & you get up to go to the bathroom; On planes you get up to stretch, go to the bathroom; on trains you have no seat-belts & you get up to stretch, stroll & go to the bathroom...everyone of these can crash or derail just like your motorhome.

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There ARE reasons for the other examples you listed, it's not as if caution is thrown to the wind in those cases... buses are built with "compartmentalized" seating that is designed to keep occupants in place in the event of a crash.  Ever notice how high the seatback is in front of you?  It's also made of shock-absorbing material in case you go crashing into it.   

I believe the same seating design is true of trains.  Planes now recommend you are seated and belted whenever possible.  Massive turbulence can strike no matter how clear the skies appear (kinda like a vehicle crash no matter how clear the roads appear).  For both planes and trains, if involved in a major crash the odds of dying are pretty high (belted or not) depending on where you're sitting... luckily it doesn't happen that often.  Motorhomes on the other hand are not quite as exclusive; you can easily survive most crashes with minor injuries (like most car crashes) if restrained.  It's really that simple, and beyond that is a calculation of personal risk as mentioned.

On a grander scale it does bother me though (even though it isn't any of my personal business) that some people are so nonchalant about their personal safety, and would risk their life for a cup of coffee or whatever.

On a grander scale it does bother me though (even though it isn't any of my personal business) that some people are so nonchalant about their personal safety, and would risk their life for a cup of coffee or whatever.

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Not just a hazard to the dim bulb wandering around loose in a motorhome doing 70 mph down an interstate.  In cars, unrestrained backseat passengers are a significant hazard to the driver and front seat passenger in a collision.  Consider the event of a sudden slow down in a motorhome.  Driver hits the air brakes hard, wandering soul is immediately airborne at a relative speed of maybe 40 mph.  He/she throws a 40 mph shoulder block into the driver.  Now the emergency stop is converted into a out of control swerve and highly possible roll over.

When was the last time you stood on the brakes on a highway?  I would guess not too long ago.  Can't that cuppa coffee wait til the next rest stop?

TwistnSHOUT said:

Cheeze I hope it's a joke!!! ;D

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The urban myth?  Or my post?

My post: yes, I'm joking, Of course you know the driver can not go walk-about the motor home while it's in motion and so do I

The urban Myth may be a joke or a serious effort to mislead... The nature of urban myths is that it's very hard to trace them to the source and only the person who made it up knows for sure.

There are may myths and there are many myth buster sites.  If you want the full story google "Winabago" and "Myth"

It may be a moot point since I haul a 5er and can't just get up to get a cuppa or go to the bathroom, but I have to wonder about those who think it is a mortal sin to move around in a MH. I'd be willing to bet that most of us here on the forum drove without so much as a seat belt for many years. It wasn't all that long ago cars didn't have them. My kids rode in the pickup camper for years, probably most of the time laying on the bed over the truck looking out the window. We didn't have bike helmets, shin guards, elbow pads, we played tackle football on asphalt lots with the football being the only equipment, carried three bladed pocket knives to school so we could play Mumble Peg during recess, and who knows what all. Yet somehow we grew up and managed to get this far. Now I'm all for safety, and I installed seat belts in my cars before manufacturers started putting them in cars, but I sometimes think we go overboard worrying about everyone's safety. Life is full of risks, and moving around in a motor home while going down the highway seems a very minor one on the scale to my way of thinking.

TwistnSHOUT said:

I wouldn't mind seeing some stats on RV accidents

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http://home.hiwaay.net/~sbuc/journal/statistics.html
;D ;D ;D
Ask & you shall, blah blah blah{%^}

Bill... the RV Journal that link links to is for AIRCRAFT, one group of which is called an RV.

Not for use Down to Earth type RVers

So the stats presented there mean nothing.