Basic Motorhome Questions

Sorry, got the giggles reading some of this. I read on the computer the other day where some woman set the cruise control on her motor home, left the seat to make a sandwich, had a wreck, and won a big award from the manufacturer because they failed to tell her not to leave the drivers seat while moving! Guess some people have a lot of faith in technology.

Maybe I will think of going to a motor home after all. When the wife gets a colitis attack, it is emergency all the way! I could probably slow down to 10 or 20 mph less than the traffic and be OK. If you are really urgent, it does take a lot of time to find a place to pull off, get out, unlock the 5th wheel, and get inside to the restroom.

Or, we could just sit home and watch the clock tick on the wall. Ha!

The wife makes trips to the bathroom as needed when we're in the coach. On the interstate with little traffic, there is no reason not to take advantage of the toilet in the coach. Would we do that on a road with a lot of switchbacks or in stop-and-go traffic? No, a bit of common sense is required like with anything else while driving. But it's a risk assessment each driver and passenger needs to make. No need to be paranoid!

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
Thanks, I'm the OP. Guess maybe a motorhome is not for me as the main reason I was interested was being able to get to the bathroom while moving. Should have realized that was not a good idea. If I have to pull off for bathroom stops, then I'm just about as well off with the 5th wheel as with a motorhome. Plus I have 17 years experience with the 5th wheel; probably not a good idea to change into something I know nothing about --- at my age. Thanks for the help anyway.

By the way, I don't MIND pulling over for bathroom stops, but you all know how hard it is to find a place to safely do so!

One of the main reasons we bought a MH is having the full functionality of everything on board - including bathrooms, while travelling. My family has no issues at all using the facilities when en-route. Not sure what all the apprehension is, I mean I get the safety issue but it's done all the time in planes, busses, and yes MHs. I never consider pulling over for a bathroom break unless it's the driver and I do that every 3 hours to stretch anyway. The rest of the passengers enjoy all the amenities at will - TV, refer, microwave, etc. Quite often my son will lay in bed and watch movies. DW may take a nap etc. Laying prone on a bed provides lot of surface area. I have stopped quite hard and my son said he hardly noticed while laying down. But, buckled in otherwise, and if we are on windy roads or heavy traffic, I will turn on the seat belt sign. Heck I remember being on a tight schedule to FL about 10 yrs ago in a Class C and I actually took a shower while DW drove. Some of the doom and gloom crowd will tell you I am lucky to be here. I will tell you my family was lucky I was able to take a shower. ;)

I went to a MH from a TT mostly because of age. The hooking and unhooking got old faster than I did. It is so nice to be able to pull off the road and do whatever without having to go outside.

I learned to drive before seatbelts. So maybe I drive differently. But I would not be concerned about someone moving around the MH while rolling. Heck, that happens all the time in commercial busses on the interstate. Unless they have taken out the bathrooms now days.

Well, the colitis my wife has developed puts a whole new emphasis on potty stops.

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
Thanks, I'm the OP. Guess maybe a motorhome is not for me as the main reason I was interested was being able to get to the bathroom while moving. Should have realized that was not a good idea. If I have to pull off for bathroom stops, then I'm just about as well off with the 5th wheel as with a motorhome. Plus I have 17 years experience with the 5th wheel; probably not a good idea to change into something I know nothing about --- at my age. Thanks for the help anyway.

By the way, I don't MIND pulling over for bathroom stops, but you all know how hard it is to find a place to safely do so!

If that was your main concern, then I'm with you, there is not much reason to change. If you're the driver you have to pull over anyway. Now it is easier to just walk to the back of the motorhome versus going back to the 5th wheel and unlocking it and climbing in, but I sure wouldn't change out RV's just for the sake of using the potty on the road.

deandec wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
On the walking around, it may actually be illegal in some states. It is in California as the seatbelt laws now apply to motorhomes.

Is this something new since 2011?

I have used this DMV Publication as a reference for California rules on Housecars.

It says:

Safety Belts

Always wear your safety belt when driving. Even though many RVs accommodate passengers in places where safety belts are not required by federal law (i.e., dining table), if the area has a safety belt—wear it. Riding in a place which is not equipped with a safety belt increases the danger of injury in case of a collision

Which seems more like a good recommendation than a law.

That DMV info is bad. 27315 is the California section that covers safety belts. It used to specifically exempt passengers in a motor home (called a Housecar) that were behind the front seats. That exemption was removed at least five years ago if my memory is correct. Now the law covers "Passenger Vehicles" as defined by section 465. If you check section 465 it clearly includes a House Car as a passenger vehicle.

Now if you ever did get a seatbelt ticket in California on your motorhome, I'd print out that DMV webpage and take the ticket to court and tell the judge you were relying on information directly from DMV. I'd be willing to bet you would get the ticket dismissed.

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
Thanks, I'm the OP. Guess maybe a motorhome is not for me as the main reason I was interested was being able to get to the bathroom while moving. Should have realized that was not a good idea. If I have to pull off for bathroom stops, then I'm just about as well off with the 5th wheel as with a motorhome. Plus I have 17 years experience with the 5th wheel; probably not a good idea to change into something I know nothing about --- at my age. Thanks for the help anyway.

By the way, I don't MIND pulling over for bathroom stops, but you all know how hard it is to find a place to safely do so!

I think the plus is that you don't have to exit the vehicle in bad weather or if you end up in an iffy neighborhood, you can stay in the vehicle. If you can drive a truck and 5th wheel you will do just fine with a class A.

But, I understand your apprehension to change. I still have a flip-phone.

Safe travels,
MM.

Thanks, I'm the OP. Guess maybe a motorhome is not for me as the main reason I was interested was being able to get to the bathroom while moving. Should have realized that was not a good idea. If I have to pull off for bathroom stops, then I'm just about as well off with the 5th wheel as with a motorhome. Plus I have 17 years experience with the 5th wheel; probably not a good idea to change into something I know nothing about --- at my age. Thanks for the help anyway.

By the way, I don't MIND pulling over for bathroom stops, but you all know how hard it is to find a place to safely do so!

afrescop wrote:
A person riding unbelted in a motorhome is no longer a passenger. They are an unguided missile.

both our couches have seat belts that are bolted to the floor (not the couch).