Are your passengers buckled in ?

[Gary RVRoamer]

Thanks, Pigman. That was a very rational reply, though unlikely to convince those who already have opinions on the subject.

Having been involved in an RV collision at highway speeds, I can tell you that a big motorhome is actually quite safe if it strikes a car or pick-up truck. We did both at 50 mph and had no injuries, even though the coach suffered $50k in damage. The size/weight difference is all in your favor. Running into a massive piece of concrete or head-on with another large vehicle would be an entirely different matter, of course, but I'm not sure a seat belt would help all that much anyway.

We are always belted in when sitting in the front seats and do not move around except when needed and traffic/road risks are relatively low, but we do attend to our creature comforts. I would be reluctant to have unbelted passengers in the rear, though. Even if the seats all had belts, I do not think they would be safe in a major collision, since most would be sideways to the forces.

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by mel s

Happyho
Good point.
If children on a school bus, and people riding public transportation, (subways, commuter trains, etc), are safe when not belted in... so are my passengers.
Mel
'96 Safari

The two things don't compare at all. School buses are designed to package passengers between thick foam seats that are built specifically to absorb the energy of a person flying forward into them.

Our motorhomes offer no such safety, and passengers go flying wildly into dangerous objects and glass that increase the amount of injury, and most certainly do nothing to safely absorb it.

I've been a school bus driver for twenty years and have been directly involved in safety programs for many of those years. I'm obsessive concerning safety.

I do however allow passengers in my motorhome to move around for quick errands when traveling on uncrowded and straight roads, but in traffic or on winding roads where I can't maintain large clear space on all sides, I then require everyone to be seated and belted. My wife will even frequently agree to comply with my demands.

[Pigman1]

Gary and Raining Star... two great replies and right on the money.

Size DOES matter and school buses are in an entirely different breed of cat. I had the privilege of being an observer in the same room as a 45MPH head on crash test on a school bus populated by a variety of dummies and restraint systems. Absolutely awesome how well the "kids" made out, and the concrete block they hit didn't move a fraction. Even the driver probably would have survived that one.

[wa8yxm]

About the only reason I'd have to move about inside the RV is if I need to visit the little room.. and since Wife (When she was alive) refused to drive the RV that would normally require I be parked, or dang close to it (one time We moved perhaps half the length of the rig before I got back,, Stuck in a traffic jam and no way to park).

Of course my passangers now days, (Amber and Alex Cats) have their own secure hidey hole when I'm moving. and it is very secure.

[Pepper2]

My father-in-law quit talking to me for the weekend when I refused to move the MH unless he buckled up. One of the finer weekends we spent together. Just kidding, he was a good guy, he just didn't believe in seat belts.

[manitou]

good point

[scenic route]

Missed the gas station we were to fill up at. Road continues on to campground, we go on. Wife gets up to get ice and was just getting ready to open the freezer door when oncoming traffic moved us off the center line and there was NO shoulder...



We were very lucky, we walked away without so much as a scratch. Lessons learned...enough said.

[rumrunnerxx]

Seatbelts would have helped there. We don't wander around the MH unless the road conditions allow to do so safely and just for a moment. The kids were always belted in years ago in our old class C except to reach the fridge which was like 2 steps away.

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by scenic route

Missed the gas station we were to fill up at. Road continues on to campground, we go on. Wife gets up to get ice and was just getting ready to open the freezer door when oncoming traffic moved us off the center line and there was NO shoulder...

Attachment 76756

We were very lucky, we walked away without so much as a scratch. Lessons learned...enough said.

Good Heavens!! That looks very scary, so glad you are both ok, but please tell me RIP Squeaky does NOT mean one of your animals died in that accident. That would be more aweful than the entire wreck!!!