RV Crash Safety & Illusions of Safety

liquidspaceman wrote:
Hello,

I am new to this forum. I joined so that I could discuss RV safety or rather the illusion of safety. What brought me here was that I bought a Class C motorhome recently. After noticing that the dinette had seatbelts but that the dinette itself was simply made of wood and screwed into a wood floor, I became pretty surprised that this passes for safe where our children would be located. I'm pretty sure in a front crash over 40 mph they would be pretty hurt with nothing but a lap belt connected to pressed wood.

My thoughts have been sort of swirling in my head lately. Everything from studying statistics that show Class C's are relatively safe compared to Class A's (for the cab at least). Then I see pictures of the back area obliterated by a sideswipe.

My understanding is that the frames of the rear are made with light aluminum, wood and fiberclass, none of which would provide much protection in a real accident. I have been thinking of just ignoring it and facing facts that "we all gotta die sometime" but it has been eating at me because my kids will be in the back and that's not really an attitude I'd like to take with them.

Which brings me to the reason for my post. I was considering constructing a cage of sorts in the area just behind the driver/passenger area. Here is my thought:

1. Construct a multi-point cage made of roll-bar material that would go over the dinette and the chair behind the passenger seat. Get it welded to the chassis frame or aircraft bolted.

2. Rip the dinette set out as it's nothing but particle board stapled to the floor anyway. Remove the crappy sideways barrel chair by the door as being sideways is UNSAFE in a crash.

3. Buy 3 driver's style seats or captain type chairs that are from salvaged ford vans/trucks. Put one driver seat where the barrel chair is, mounted to the frame. Same with the other 2 chairs, place one forward facing by the dinette area and 1 rear facing by dinette area. Basically two chairs facing each other where the dinette once was - bolted or welded to the chassis in some manner. This may require me to rip the floor up.

4. The rear of the cage assembly, I would create a wall that allows entry into the back compartment. This wall would basically block any debris that flew in the direction of the cage. This would be made of sheet metal and have a door to enter the kitchen/bathroom/bedroom area and the door could be locked and/or slid open when we are camping.

AM I CRAZY? Please tell me that I'm not the first person to think of family safety while driving one of these things?

The couch HAS seat belts from the factory that bolt to the floor. The children should not be riding in the dinette area.

Actually my dinette has a warning sign for the side behind the passenger seat that says DO NOT SIT HERE WHEN IN MOTION.And there are no seat belts there.

If you bought a used Class C the previous owner most likely shoved the seat belts down under the couch into the lower storage unit. Open the couch up and pull the seat belts back up.

Welcome to the form and have a safe happy camping trip! :C