Drinking Alcohol In Your RV

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MikeDeason

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Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Posts
35
What's your policy?

I like a drink now and then (more often now than then ;)). I keep a DOT approved breathalizer in the RV and will NEVER drive if I blow over .06 BAC. .

I also never have ANY open beer or spirits in the RV while driving. At night I may relax with a drink but I am very careful if I overdrink, NOT to drive the next morning (your BAC may still be high).

I think I am very careful bu sometimes wonder about how the rest handle it......
 
If I'm drinking, I'm not driving...there's nowhere I need to go if I'm settled in with a drink.  As for the next morning, since I don't drink to the excesses I enjoyed in my youth, I have no problems.  If I did imbibe to much the night before, I'm usually not feeling well enough to drive the next morning, preferring to sleep in or just relax.
 
Yes, I'm very careful. What exactly is the law for RV's and alcohol as it compares to cars?
 
My 'policy'? While driving? Never, period, case closed, end of story.

The legal limit only defines when you are drunk. You can still be under that limit and get ticketed for under the influence, if the officer thinks it has affected your driving. I hope you don't think that breathalyzer is going to help you at all. If anything, it would re-enforce to the officer that you knew you were going to be drinking and driving. And if you think you're not affected at .06, you're dead wrong.

But that's not the important part. It only takes a couple of drinks to affect your reflexes and judgment. It only take one little mistake to ruin or end lives. I really don't shive a git if you go get drunk and kill yourself at .06. It's me and my loved ones driving down the road next to you I'm worried about.



 
Where I work, we practice "Fitness for Duty".  Part of that applies to alcohol consumption.  That means if you have had one drink less than 5 hours before reporting for work, you cannot work because your judgement and motor skills can be impaired enough by just one drink to cause an industrial accident.  If an emergency occurs and a person is absolutely required who has had a drink in less than that time period, then we have an OSHA/DOT approved breathalizer with an annual calibration record with the analyzer that the person will be tested on.  If he blows .04 or greater, he is considered too alcohol impaired to work under any condition.  If he blows a .02 to .04, there will be administrative restrictions placed on the employee until he meets requirements.  The state limits at .08 are too high for the general safety of the public and should be lowered to .04.  If your blood alcohol content is higher than a .04 and you drive a vehicle, you are risking the lives of others, whether you realize it or not.

I drink a physician approved 6 oz (some times 8oz  :) of red wine at home and I do not drive afterward.  I stay home.  When I am camping, I will have my medically approved 6 oz or so of red wine in my camper and I will not go anywhere until the next morning. 
 
I used to ride motorcycles, and my rule back then was one and done.  One beer limit for ANY riding, and frankly now that I am older I'm not sure I would even allow one in my system.

As for the 20,000 lbs motor home, zero tolerance is the policy.  Too much risk...to me, to my family, to other folks in cars.  There just isn't any room for error in a vehicle this size, and the ramifications of a loss of judgement can and will end lives.  I will absolutely have a few beers when camping with my friends but it's an early night if I am driving the next day.

So to your question, no way, no how, no sir, would I allow myself to drive an RV with ANY alcohol in my system. Law or no law, it is common sense and common courtesy.

 
Given the present moral panic it is rare indeed that I drink anything at all if I intend to drive later that day/evening.
 
I never drank when I was going to drive the MH. What really opened my eyes was when I read my insurance policy and what my rate would go up if I got with a DUI.  I probably have to park it because I couldn't afford the rate hike.
 
There are actually very few accidents caused by impaired RV drivers if you check the stats.
We are generally a responsible lot.

As for my limits, I have been drinking for years and at .06 am as sober as a stone. That being said, I have only driven once in the past year at .06 and that was in the morning after  heavy drinking binge the night before.



 
Oh, and of course, the DWI checkpoint will be on a highway with RVs instead of a block up the street from a busy bar, just in case you ever think about driving after some alcohol.  8) 
 
I'm with Porky.  There is a loss of judgment and reaction times whether you notice or not, although it is slight compared to many other potential sources of impairment (lack of sleep, bad cold, migraine, cell phone, cheeseburger, or the effects of advancing years).

 
  Blowing a .06 means you may be impaired although not legally DWI (.08 limit in some states). 
  Do you really want to trust that Breathalyzer to be accurate to .02%? And what if you are "on the way up"?
  I won't degrade the Forum with my Ex-Deputy Sheriff opinions.
  The cemeteries are full of victims from stone sober drivers.
 
...It's Five O'clock Somewhere... :-[

Don't forget to 'park it' before you 'uncork it'... ;) Especially if you're thinking of heading down the road in my direction! :eek:
 
MikeDeason said:
What's your policy?

I like a drink now and then (more often now than then ;)). I keep a DOT approved breathalizer in the RV and will NEVER drive if I blow over .06 BAC. .

I also never have ANY open beer or spirits in the RV while driving. At night I may relax with a drink but I am very careful if I overdrink, NOT to drive the next morning (your BAC may still be high).

I think I am very careful bu sometimes wonder about how the rest handle it......

I don't have any use for drinking alcohol period, so don't have this problem. Got plenty of others to deal with, without alcohol. ;D
 
MikeDeason said:
There are actually very few accidents caused by impaired RV drivers if you check the stats.
We are generally a responsible lot.

As for my limits, I have been drinking for years and at .06 am as sober as a stone. That being said, I have only driven once in the past year at .06 and that was in the morning after  heavy drinking binge the night before.

All I want to know is where you will be traveling so I can stay far away from there.

Responsible would mean driving sober.......blow a .00.
 
Just because we are driving down the road inside our living rooms , Should  we act like we do at home? I can see it now ...........

Feet up on the dash board, TV on, cruise control on, one eye on the road and one on the GPS. I am assuming 2 good eyes. A bag of chips in our lap, a cooler with beer next to us and to top it all off sitting there in our underwear.

Life is good!!!!
 
Laws with regard to alcohol and RVs are vague and subject to interpretation. And of course they will vary by state as well. Clearly when you are driving it, it's a motor vehicle and the laws apply to the driver and driving area. As with tour buses, the usual interpretation is that the open container laws and such do not apply to other areas of the coach, i.e. outside the physical driving area.

When you are parked on a campsite, your RV is your home and home rules apply as far as open containers, etc.  When you are merely parked on the roadside, in a rest area, etc., the situation gets much more foggy. Is it a temporary stop (minutes or hours) vs an overnight stay? 
 
So, what's wrong with driving in our underwear?  Doesn't everyone? 

I guess it can be a problem when you stop for fuel if you are absent minded.
 
So, what's wrong with driving in our underwear?  Doesn't everyone?

Did you see the "Casual Friday" commercial? Give the professional drivers and the buss passengers a break.

The wild turkey, 1.75 liter, rode sealed under the wet bar in Casa de Amistad for ten years and after 6 years in the bottom of the cabinet at home made it to QZ where it disappeared after being sampled at the potluck.

Do remember, drinking in many if not most state parks is prohibited as well as at many conference centers/camps, If you can't wait, send me a private msg.

RVF Chaplain Bob?   
 
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