The easiest solution to driving your RV in high winds is simply to not drive. But that may not always be a choice. Just like if your main concern was safety in high winds, you would probably be driving an Abrams tank instead of an RV. But would you want to go camping in one? But compromising safety for comfort also means you must make adjustments if adverse conditions dictate. Like driving an RV in high winds.
High profile vehicles can blow over in high winds.
High winds can occur in all seasons, from Santa Ana winds in late summer in California to winter winds that blow across the Great Plains. Regardless of your circumstance, here are some suggestions for how to handle your RV if you get caught in any high wind condition.
- Slow way down so that you can maintain control when a gust of wind hits your RV.
- Proceed at a greatly reduced speed until you can find a safe place to get off the road.
- If you have an option, park in a large parking area where you can point facing (rather than broadside) into the wind.
Avoid…
- Tailgating. Extremely dangerous in high winds, as the vehicle in front of you could react to the wind and not leave you enough time to stop or avoid disaster.
- Weaving in and out of traffic. Puts you at the mercy of other vehicles as the wind deflects off you or them causing unpredictable results.
- Making sudden lane changes. Can quickly send you out of control when you’re pulling a trailer or driving a motorhome.
- Quick actions. Can cause oversteering, taking you out of your lane, causing danger to yourself and others.
The best course of action is to wait it out. Whether an hour or a couple days, it just isn’t worth the risk to try to drive an RV through strong winds. Wherever you are headed will still be there when you can proceed safely again.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing ebooks on Amazon Kindle.