Valhall360,
You need to go back and reread my original post.
Was there someone in the SB right lane forcing SB traffic to run 3 wide?
No.
How steep was the grade and in which direction?
About 3 percent with northbound traffic going up.
Were there other SB vehicles in close proximity?
Yes.
Quite possible, the Class A wasn't expecting or watching for a crazy to cross the double yellow. If there was another RV behind, was the Class A worried that RV behind couldn't stop?
I made no mention of another motorhome because there wasn't one. There was no, none, zip, nada excuse for the motorhome to not be aware of what was taking place. When driving you are responsible for knowing what is going on around you at all times... it is not optional.
With hindsight it may have been better if the Class A hit the brakes but when being passed, the appropriate response is to hold a steady speed.
That argument goes out the window when the van crossed completely into my { northbound} lane making it everyone's responsibility to take any requisite action to avoid what in this case would have been a catastrophic collision.
If the Class A had hit the brakes and at the same time the minivan decided he didn't have enough room to pass and hit his brakes, the minivan could have been trapped in the oncoming lane. By holding a steady speed, you allow the passing vehicle to react without having to worry about what you are going to do.
That is fine if you are not dealing with an impaired/ moron of a driver.
The motorhome, had he been paying attention, had ample time to back off and allow the idiot to pass without killing some or probably all of us. Instead he held his speed {and may have been increasing it for all I know}. What I do know is that he took no action whatsoever to mitigate the situation and chose to make things worse.
When you are traveling at roughly the same speed and trying to pass a 65 +/- feet long motorhome it takes a time to pass which would have given the motorhome time to react safely had he been paying attention.
If I'm understanding the situation, the blame is squarely on the minivan. No need to drag others in.
Clearly you are not... Yes the mini van was the primary malefactor here but the motorhome by his actions elevated everyones risk when he did not back off. As noted he appeared to be trying to holdoff the van from successfully passing him and THAT nearly killed my bride and I.
:R
