New to RVing, concerned with safe traveling

Snobrdr314 wrote:
Does everyone traveling with toddlers stop for bathroom breaks or can they run with mom to the bathroom and then get back to their seats like in flight bathroom breaks? Does anyone make sandwiches while moving? The sales people we spoke with all seemed to promote the idea of life at home Going on as usual just at 55 mph. They're talking about preparing meals, walking around, making a pot of coffee all while rolling to your destination. With our pooch too. It didn't sound really safe to us, but what do we know, we don't own an RV, never have, never even been in one rolling down the highway. So please excuse or ignorance. Again that's why were here asking questions. I suppose I need to see where the seatbelts are placed in the vehicles we'd consider, and probably show up at the dealer with our car seats to install to see them in action.

It depends on the RV. The longer the wheel base and the more stable the handling, the more stable the interior will be in motion. A wide-body intercontinental wide-body jet will be more stable in flight than a 21-passenger commuter prop plane. I'd put a big class-C as the same as being in a large commercial jet experiencing mild turbulence - the wife can go use the bath room, but a man should sit down on the toilet if he is going to urinate or else he's going to wash down the interior of the bathroom (this is why an airplane bathroom is filthy after a 12 hour flight). Depends on the road, traffic and the driver. Again, to use the airplane analogy, there's mild turbulence where you can still walk around (carefully) and then there's turbulence where people are floating zero-g style in the cabin and are going to require hospitalization when the plane lands. It's up to you to determine the rules you are comfortable with in your own vehicle.

As for safety - the FMVSS rules for RVs are a joke. Standards for: seat belts, roll over protection, impact protection, fire protection, etc. are almost non-existent compared to a passenger vehicle. The "house" section of a RV is incredibly flimsy compared to a unit-body car. That said, a big motorhome is high up (usually above the level of impact) very heavy and has a huge frame (this is the safety strategy that school buses (which have no seat belts) use to good effect). If you get hit by a small sedan at low speeds, you'll probably do fine. If you roll or flip the RV, the entire house section and anyone in it will disintegrate.

If you want maximum safety - a pickup truck or class B van will be safest. They have full metal bodies that have passed minimum roll over and impact standards (well at least before they chopped the roof off) and seats that conform to FMVSS standards. Newer models have stability control and ABS brakes.

My recommendation is to RENT a couple of motorhomes or trailers. Class A, B, and C and see what you like and if it is compatible with what you want to do. If you rent from a local dealer, they may give you credit if you buy a new unit from them.

EDIT: You'll find most RVs don't have shoulder belts or LATCH hooks for child safety seats (remember, very lax safety rules for RVs). If shoulder belts are available, make sure that you can lock the pretensioner to secure the safety seat. If not, the seat won't be securely attached (again, very lax safety rules for RVs). See if the belts are anchored in metal or just the wood floor.