Licensing RVers---is it time?
Is it time to insist that a special license be needed for driving/towing larger recreational vehicles. I once asked a DOT complaint officer why a person renting a GVWR 26,000 (26' box) truck could ...
Forum Discussion
I think there is an assumption in your question that RV drivers are unsafe because they don't have a license of some sort and that the license/test for the license will make them safer.
I would have a lot of questions about this concept:
1. How do we know the accidents RV drivers are having would be avoided if they took a test? Do we know that a test would decrease the number of accidents?
2. In reading the forums here and watching the news, the accidents I see tend to be equipment failures (tires) and not so much driving technique. But, I could be wrong. Is there data to back up the assumption the accidents are driver error?
3. Are the number of RV accidents abnormally high compared to some benchmark?
4. Are the number of accidents in line with other non-commercial tow vehicles (e.g. boats)?
5. What type of drivers are having accidents? What is their demographic? Is there any correlation between their demographics and accidents?
When I lived in Japan, I was told the insurance industry for motorcycles jacked up the insurance prices drastically at 450 cc (probably tied to some law). All of the motorcycles I saw were below 450 or right at that number. It was very rare to see anything higher.
If a law was implemented on RVs, the manufacturers would just start building their units right under the limit that would require a license because those are the units people would be buying.
I would have a lot of questions about this concept:
1. How do we know the accidents RV drivers are having would be avoided if they took a test? Do we know that a test would decrease the number of accidents?
2. In reading the forums here and watching the news, the accidents I see tend to be equipment failures (tires) and not so much driving technique. But, I could be wrong. Is there data to back up the assumption the accidents are driver error?
3. Are the number of RV accidents abnormally high compared to some benchmark?
4. Are the number of accidents in line with other non-commercial tow vehicles (e.g. boats)?
5. What type of drivers are having accidents? What is their demographic? Is there any correlation between their demographics and accidents?
When I lived in Japan, I was told the insurance industry for motorcycles jacked up the insurance prices drastically at 450 cc (probably tied to some law). All of the motorcycles I saw were below 450 or right at that number. It was very rare to see anything higher.
If a law was implemented on RVs, the manufacturers would just start building their units right under the limit that would require a license because those are the units people would be buying.
