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Old 02-03-2017, 10:06 AM   #29
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One thing to stress if the wife is critical of your driving is for her to learn. She'll soon find out that the issues she was so jumpy about while you were driving will no longer be issues. She'll understand the space she has on the road and how to use it.

I also feel some men just don't want to relinquish the driver's seat and thinks or comments that the wife can't learn. Women can definitely do as well or better, in some cases, driving the RV. There are tons of women school bus drivers with 40 or so big distractions! There are many women semi truck drivers. Driving doesn't take strength. It just takes common sense and confidence in knowing she has good support from the passenger seat. You both have to work together and it can be very relaxing and enjoyable for both!
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:41 AM   #30
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My wife is the opposite. She is overly confident and wants to drive it. Then she goes hog wild in the corners and throws caution to the wind. Pride comes before the fall, i just sit in the back quietly with a helmet and other protective gear on for the inevitable crash...

I hear you! Actually my wife is a decent driver with the MH but there are some problems with that. She has a lead foot and feels a 70 mph speed limit is what you are supposed to drive not a maximum. She also has a problem understanding the MH is 12 1/2 feet tall and wants to drive it like a car. Driving through Chattanooga I remind her the speed limit has dropped from 70 to 55 and her answer is that she is just keeping up with traffic. They are cars 4 1/2 feet tall and a center of gravity six feet lower than the MH. I just have to try to keep her from driving in the wrong places.
It is not all bad with her driving since I don't see as well at night as I used to. If we are driving and just walmarting and leaving early before dawn she drives then and I take over later and drive till close to dark. Jim.
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Old 02-03-2017, 10:49 PM   #31
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Maybe it's time for a trade in! . . . . . but keep the truck and trailer . . . . Just kidding.
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:00 AM   #32
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Many years ago I helped my wife buy an airplane of her choosing and I helped her learn how to fly, and go on to get her private pilot's license. This came about only because of her genuine interest to do so. However, she's never been interested in learning to drive our big motorhome. She's content to drive a car of her choosing. But, she enjoys traveling in the motorhome very much.
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:51 AM   #33
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I'm going out on a limb here knowing that I will likely get slammed for even thinking let along typing this but.....

I want my wife to learn to drive the MH. I have health issues that have prevented me from driving in the past. My DW indicates the desire to learn and doesn't want me present when she does. I'm ok with that.

My major concern is that she is an overly careful and abundantly slow driver, she tends to wait for long periods of time to turn onto a road if it is busy even with traffic stacking up behind her.

She tends to drive 45 mph in a 55 mph speed limit consistently (yeah, I know thats a good thing in some instances when driving a coach).

My DW was never taught how to and refuses to use her mirrors to back up (period). Instead she insists on backing up while turned around looking out the rear window instead of using her mirrors and backup camera (gonna be hard to do in the coach).

Bless her. She has a hard time backing her Kia Rio (small car) up a double car driveway into a double car garage with no second car or plethora of junk inside it.

If my son happens to be parked in the drive she parks on the street and walks in to avoid backing or even pulling into the garage.

Yes, I understand she will learn how to do this with the MH. However, I wonder if she will be flexible enough to learn from the instructor? And, whether the instructor will have enough Xanex to teach her. Ok, flame me. I'm ready.
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Old 02-04-2017, 09:23 AM   #34
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My wife often drives our now 148k mile 35' Safari coach.

The view from the passenger seat is quite different than the view from the drivers seat....(when my wife drives it always appears she is driving to far to the right..when I drive she thinks I'm driving to far to the right).

In fact..on narrow, twisting mountainous roads she sometimes sits on the couch and holds a pillow over her eyes...(it's not easy for her to drive like that).
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Old 02-04-2017, 10:09 AM   #35
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So how far do you push the issue? There doesn't seem to be any interest. I have Travel Assist insurance to get the RV home if something happens to me.
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Old 02-04-2017, 11:22 AM   #36
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My wife has no interest in driving our coach and that's fine with me. I'm 60 years old and towed my first trailer on I-5 in California at 16 years old. I had my first RV at 19 years old. In those days, women just didn't drive RV's or trucks. Sure, someone will pop up and say they did, but you're talking less than 1% of the women back then.

The reason I bring this up, is that over the 45 years I've been driving, I've graduated to larger and larger rigs, each time gaining more and more driving experience. Between my job and RVing I've easily driven a million miles in my life with at least 200K miles in an RV. My wife hasn't had that opportunity and can't suddenly gain the experience in a short time to drive a 65' rig, weighing 43K up and down grades while operating the engine brake. It took me years to be able to look at a gas station and know if I can squeeze the coach and toad in.

I'm not putting down women who WANT to drive their coach. In this day and age, it's more common place for women to drive RV's and work as cross country truckers. So basically, times are changing, but I think the amount of baby boomer women driving will remain low. More power to the younger crowd that wants to learn.

Again, I'm sure there are many baby boomer women driving, but I would guess the percentage is still under 2%-3% of all RVers.
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Old 02-04-2017, 12:59 PM   #37
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So how far do you push the issue?
There doesn't seem to be any interest.
I have Travel Assist insurance to get the RV home if something happens to me.
Scottybdivin
Will anyone be interested enough to call your Travel assist insurance if something happens to you?
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Old 02-04-2017, 04:25 PM   #38
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Scottybdivin
Will anyone be interested enough to call your Travel assist insurance if something happens to you?
Of course. She's all in on the whole RV thing. Absolutely loves it and does as much work on it as I do. She just doesn't want to drive it. She's an excellent co-pilot.
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Old 02-04-2017, 04:28 PM   #39
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Even Donald Trump doesn't have enough money to get my wife to drive the beast!
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Old 02-04-2017, 05:45 PM   #40
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Wife is always leaning in when I'm driving the RV. Says it looks like were gonna hit it. No where close. I would like for her to learn how to drive it also to give me a break. Says she'll only drive it on straight roads. But we all know stuff happens quick. I've had ours down some really narrow one lane roads in Amish country. Taking a left and before your done, your making a right. Any ideas can help
NavyChief200,
This isn't the first time this subject's been on here. The ability for a spouse to actually drive and handle an RV, ANY RV, at any length, with any trailer etc. is rare. It does happen and some do it but, it's rare. I taught my wife and two kids to drive our motor homes decades ago. While some males don't force the issue when attempting to "ask" the wife to drive or, at least learn to and, she immediately says NO, I was forceful. There was no NO. I told all of them (the family) that, in the event that something went wrong, I became incapacitated or, sick or hurt or whatever, that one of them would have to step up to the plate and handle things.

Well, it happened, TWICE!!!!!!!! I was injured while riding those dumb-a$$ sand toys in the So CAL sand dunes and, almost couldn't enter the motor home on my own. In one case, my son, who was 17 at the time, took charge of loading all the toys and, literally told his mom, YOU STAY WITH DAD, I'm driving us home. At 17, he took the reins and, we headed home.

But, as for the wife driving, she's been the pilot in control a zillion times while I either co-piloted or, SNOOZED. This includes any and all coaches with trailers, toads and more. She knows the value of allowing me to take a break and get the tension off of driving for even a small amount of time. She's driven that beast along with a toad, in city conditions, county roads, freeways, in the rain, at night, and all other conditions.

Its definitely not only a pleasure having a capable assistant pilot but, to us, it's a very high safety asset too. I really pity those male drivers that have other halves that refuse to HELP in situations like this.

Scott
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Old 02-05-2017, 05:19 AM   #41
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Old 02-05-2017, 09:04 AM   #42
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I am willing but my spouse is a very bad passenger. We are full timers and I do not even drive the truck unless I have to (about once a year). He scares me silly with his narrative. He acknowledges that I am a very good driver but just cannot keep quiet. If needed, I would just hop in a drive. I have watched enough over the years that I could do it, merging being my big concern. I also help with all the outside stuff so that would not be an issue at all.
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