A couple weeks ago I brought my 38' Safari Simba out of storage to the house to do some work on it. While working I had put out one of the bedroom slides. After I was finished I was going to return to the storage and got in fired it up put it in reverse and then checked my mirrors before I backed up. I had failed to bring in the slide. I was surprised that there was not some type of safety feature that would not allow some idiot, like me, to drive with the slide out. Are all Class A's like this?

There are photos of some A's driving along with a slide or slides out. Yikes!

ours is. and while "slides in" is on our checklist it would be easy to overlook this when feeling rushed.

If I remember correctly, the RV movie with Robin Williams showed them going down the road. The outside shots showed the slides in, the inside shots the slides had to be out. Of course that was a movie.But you would think they would have an override or at leat an idiot light on the dash similar to "Jacks Down".

You would think that there would at least be a dashboard warning light or buzzer if the slide wasn't fully in, wouldn't you? Especially since there seem to be cases of the slides creeping out while the RV is cruising down the highway.

I am not aware of ANY device to stop a Motorhome from moving with the slides deployed. I have worked on thousands of motorhomes in 34 years and have never seen such a device. Now to the practical part of this question. As you found out, you looked in your SIDE mirrors and found the slide out. IMO, ANYBODY that would start a motorhome and put in gear and then move more than 5 feet WITHOUT noticing the rooms deployed in the side mirrors should NOT be driving a motorhome. They do not have the common safety sense to be driving, much less a motorhome. Doug

Driving with slides out | Good Sam Community

33 Replies

bluwtr49
Explorer II
May 31, 2013
msmith1199 wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
I am not aware of ANY device to stop a Motorhome from moving with the slides deployed. I have worked on thousands of motorhomes in 34 years and have never seen such a device. Now to the practical part of this question. As you found out, you looked in your SIDE mirrors and found the slide out. IMO, ANYBODY that would start a motorhome and put in gear and then move more than 5 feet WITHOUT noticing the rooms deployed in the side mirrors should NOT be driving a motorhome. They do not have the common safety sense to be driving, much less a motorhome. Doug

Yup, what he just said. In the event I ever left a slide out I'd spot it as soon as I sat down and checked the mirrors. I would never jump in the seat and move forward, backwards, or sideways without looking in the mirrors.

ditto
3_Dog
Explorer
May 31, 2013
bobkatmsu wrote:
The only problem, is at my age I'm beginning to forget more things than what I'm learning.

I refer to that issue as "My forgettery works better than my memory".
doc_brown
Explorer
May 31, 2013
That's why a final walk around before you move is critical. With a DP do it while the air bags are filling.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
May 31, 2013
You can bet that no serious injuries or death have resulted from an RV on the road with the slides out. If a bad accident would have happened, the lawyers would insist that there would be all kinds of interlocks and warning stickers all over the coach at an additional cost to the consumer of thousands.
BillMFl
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Got a good chuckle reading all these posts. Over the years I made many of the same mistakes. But my worst was not properly engaging the sewer hose. There I stood in shorts and flip flops with a few gallons of you know what all over my lower legs and feet. Whoohooo! :)
dougrainer
Nomad
May 31, 2013
Groover wrote:
My new one has interlocks, the slides have to be all the way in or the tranny won't go into gear.

'
What year brand and model??????? Doug
2gypsies1
Explorer III
May 31, 2013
We saw an RV trying to change sites in the heavily-treed campground with its awning out...not a pretty picture.
J-Rooster
Explorer
May 31, 2013
In my RV if I was to put the slides out, I wouldn't be able to back up due to my slides extend so far out I couldn't see due to my rear view mirrors (my rear view mirrors or blocked by the slides).
Passin_Thru
Explorer
May 31, 2013
My first indication was the blue lights on the berm trying to pass me! I havent left it out but left the steps down and the handle out.
Pilots use checklists for a reason, don't be embarrassed to carry one around, could lessen "Red Face" later.
azpete
Explorer
May 31, 2013
there is nothing wrong with making and displaying a personal warning sticker yourself.
that way you wont have to repaint or redo the inside walls. really, if they put a warning sticker for everything a person thinks may go wrong or cause a problem, the chassis would be overweight.
what some are looking for is someone else to blame for their own overlooked problem.
the key is a safety walk around. it takes a few minutes, but there is no substitute for a good final look. just give it a good look. ive found doors with one side latched, safety chains on the tow vehicle hooked wrong, any number of things that may have caused a problem.
personal responsibility should not take a back seat to warning labels.