RV's, A Real Home From Home, Or An Accident Waiting To Happen?

For many of us, Recreational Vehicles (RV's) represent places of fun and are known as a home from home in which the entire family can go on vacation and take their own personal' 'hotel' with them. A team of car accident lawyers, on the other hand, see them as an accident waiting to happen for several reasons.

Trailer sway

One of the biggest problems that RV's face is trailer sway. This occurs when the RV is met by strong crosswinds when the vehicle is travelling along a road. Passing trucks can create large amounts of turbulence too, which can also cause trailer sway, as can an uneven surface such as a bad road. An amalgamation of several or more of these factors can have dire consequences. Trailer sway can be difficult to bring under some sort of stability and once it starts a rocking motion then momentum gathers and in worst-case scenarios vehicles can roll over.

Inexperienced drivers

Any car accident attorney will tell you that the biggest problem with RV's is through inexperienced drivers. RV's can be pretty large, both in width and length and as a result can create a lot of blind spots. It is very easy to pull out into another lane or make a left turn and not see another vehicle. Especially if you are not used to the size of the RV.

Overloading

Many people forget that although it can be a home from home, it isn't built to take 'everything' that your house offers and as a result they can often be overloaded. An overloaded RV is inherently dangerous and can cause tire blow outs when travelling at speed.

Vehicle roll overs

Vehicle rollovers are a combination of inertia, gravity, and down force and are problematic to high-sided vehicles with an equally high center of gravity. If a vehicle approaches a bend at speed, then down force tries to keep the vehicle on the road whist gravity tries to keep the vehicle upright. As the vehicle sways inertial forces take over and the RV will start to rock backwards and forwards. As the vehicle struggles to keep upright, the high center of gravity means that the vehicle loses balance and then starts a forward rolling motion. This can in many cases cause fatalities.

Unbalanced load

Many people don't think of the consequences of loading a vehicle incorrectly. An unbalanced or unsafe load will again cause the vehicle to lose stability at speed.

Listed above are just some of the main dangers of operating an RV. However there are some things that you can do to prevent accidents from happening. A car accident attorney explains... One of the first things to do is to watch your speed. It is a well-known fact that RV's that are driven fast tend to be more prone to accidents. RV's that are driven 50mph or below are far less likely to suffer from trailer sway unless they are badly loaded.

Secondly, always make sure the vehicle is well maintained before you set off on your trip. Make sure tire pressures are at optimum levels and also make sure your brakes are fully functioning.

Thirdly, know your load limitations...there should be a written maximum load amount somewhere on the vehicle. It is a good idea to know what that is and to stick within its limits.

If you are in the unfortunate position of being involved in an accident and you believe that it was through no fault of your own, then you should contact an experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyer who is well versed in dealing with such situations. They have the ability to be able to call upon a team of experts who can investigate the cause of the accident and can pinpoint the negligent party. From this, your representing lawyer can look to build a case.

Although RV accidents can be commonplace, if they are driven and treated with the care that they deserve, then they really can be a home from home and a source of great fun. However if driven without due care and attention, then unfortunately a team of car accident lawyers may be expecting a call for help.