Motor Home Driving Tips

Operating large class “C” and “A” coaches is not as difficult as you might think.  However, maneuvering in some campgrounds, especially backing into your assigned space, can present challenges.  The primary concern is to get onto the campsite safely and without damaging the motor home or surrounding items.  This can best be accomplished by using a spotter.  Your spouse, travel mate, or fellow camper, can aid you by walking behind and guiding you.  This extra set of eyes behind your coach can prevent costly accidents, not to mention the added safety benefit. So, let’s look at some good motor home driving tips.

The spotter should be located to the right side behind the vehicle and be visible in the passenger side rear view mirror.  From there, they can observe, not only the rear, but the front right fender.  This area is a driver blind spot common to most, if not all, motor coaches.  The use of standard hand signals should is very beneficial.  The driver should stop immediately if the spotter is no longer visible and only proceed once visual contact is again established.  The use of back up and side view cameras are a supplement, but do not replace the primary backing tool, the rearview mirrors.

While voice activated two-way radios have gained popularity for such tasks, they do not replace the need for visual contact with the spotter.  The spoken words “Don’t Back Up!”, can easily be transmitted as “Back Up!” as the word “Don’t” may have been lost in the voice activation trigger sequence.  Needless to say, such an event may lead to ruining an otherwise good day. Following these simple motor home driving tips procedures can eliminate costly accidents and provide a safer environment for you and your fellow campers.