Back

Essential RV Safety Tips

Feb. 17 2023 Health & Safety By MYRV

Share

Your RV makes your travels more comfortable and enjoyable, but camping in an RV also requires you to think about safety. There are a number of concerns you have to factor into your travel plans, but if you’re prepared for every eventuality, then an emergency won’t catch you off-guard. Here are some of our top safety tips for RV travelers to keep in mind.

Perform an Inspection

Before you go anywhere, it’s important to perform a thorough inspection of your RV and your towing vehicle (if you’re using one). Make sure that both vehicles are ready to go, with aired-up tires, fresh fuel, changed oil, lubricated slide-outs, and a secure hitch. If you give yourself a few minutes to examine your RV, you can spare yourself a major headache later.

Drive With Caution

Whether you’re driving a motorhome or towing a trailer, being on the road with an RV is a different driving experience compared to your standard car or truck. You have to be conscious of the extra weight you have with you, so you’ll need to increase your following distance to give yourself space to hit the brakes in an emergency. You’ll also want to go several miles below the posted speed limit and stick to one lane as much as possible.

Monitor the forecast for the areas you’ll be driving through so that you can avoid storms, high winds, and icy roads.

Pack Emergency Gear

Finally, in addition to all of your fun items like fishing gear and hiking equipment and your necessities, you’re going to need to pack some emergency supplies in case you and your RV are stuck somewhere for days at a time.

Items that you may want to stock include: 

  • Extra propane for power
  • Bottled water
  • Non-perishable food for several days
  • First-aid kit
  • Tool repair kit
  • Spare tire & air compressor
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Rope
  • Duct tape
  • Axe or hatchet
  • Emergency hand-crank or battery-powered radio
  • Blankets and cold-weather gear

Looking to buy a new RV in southern California? Get in touch with us via our website or visit our dealership in El Cajon to learn about our inventory of new and used RVs for sale. We can even assist you with trading in your current RV. MYRV is proud to serve our California customers in and around the city of San Diego.