Is a pickup truck / trailer combo really safer?

[holstein13]

I belong to a group on facebook composed of full-time families and there seems to be an unquestioned assumption that a pickup truck / trailer combination is safer than a motorhome.

Granted, a modern Prevost is probably much safer than an old pickup towing an overweight trailer, but in general is it true that passenger vehicles towing an RV are safer than motorhomes?

The main points seem to be seat belts and air bags. But I am unaware that any organization does any safety tests on truck / trailer combinations. Where is this assumption coming from?

[fourmat]

Just compare where are the air bags in a motorhome
Most modern P/U have front side and curtain air bags that along with a crash tested structure should answer your question

[Bruce_Brown]

jerseyjim wrote:
Safety/crashes: Been RVing since the early 80's. Pickup truck/TT. (3) Now...a motorhome (for my retirement and probably my last RV) pulling a toad 4dwn.

I don't think anybody buys any RV with "safety" in mind. It's really buy what you want, buy what you can afford and buy what you think would serve your needs best.

EVERYTHING has wrecks: airplanes, buses, cars, motorcycles, and RVs of any kind. Even slipping in your own bathtub. So...stop this worry (paranoia?) about the very small chance (of crashing) and what you cannot control and live a little bit!
(When I took out insurance for the first time on my then-brand new motorhome, I was astounded as to how cheap it was...compared to my car insurance. Agent said...it was all in the numbers. Motorhome people do not wreck 'em.)

So very true. I'll try to be as careful as reasonably possible, but when Vanna buys a vowel the puzzle has been solved.

I'd rather just enjoy the ride.

holstein13 wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
You need to learn to see what is important.
No matter how nasty the above pictures look, please notice that in all those crash vehicles passenger cage is mostly intake.
Bus passengers don't use seat belts and that sometimes bring fatality, but I would be not surprised if from all those accidents people walk away.
Now observe how much passenger cage holds on average ClassA.

You do realize this is the rear of a class A don't you. I would be very surprised to find a passenger cage at the rear of a class A.

I get your point, however. Just think you could have found a better photo to illustrate it.

Also true. The other issue with these types of pictures is how much of the damage shown was done after the accident, during the recovery process.

[holstein13]

Kayteg1 wrote:
You need to learn to see what is important.
No matter how nasty the above pictures look, please notice that in all those crash vehicles passenger cage is mostly intake.
Bus passengers don't use seat belts and that sometimes bring fatality, but I would be not surprised if from all those accidents people walk away.
Now observe how much passenger cage holds on average ClassA.

You do realize this is the rear of a class A don't you. I would be very surprised to find a passenger cage at the rear of a class A.

I get your point, however. Just think you could have found a better photo to illustrate it.

[holstein13]

2gypsies wrote:
OP: This is a duplicate post. You also have one going in the General RVing section.

Yes, this one should probably be removed. I wrote it here first before I realized that I might get skewed results from posting in a "Class A" forum. I then decided to post it in General RV to see if I'd get more neutral results.

[wa8yxm]

There are so many variables that I'd have to spend a year on research.. But here are some facts.

In a motor home without slideouts anyuting lying loose in the "House" part can come flying and smack you in the back of he head if you stop suddenly.. And even with my main slide (Which protects me) the passanger is exposed. This means if you do not properly pack, it can be more dangerous in one kind of accident.

But then I'd rather get hit in the head by a roll of say Bathroom Tissue, than by the 5th wheel (Seen what happens with the trailer comes through the cab, well, Police photos of it.. Do not wish to see it "live" or the other way)

However if some idiot "T" bones me

If he is driving a Semi, not much difference
If he is driving a car he's going to run UNDER me, I might get shook up a bit, Disoriented for a second or two. But he's a head shorter than when he started (Seen police photos of that too) and like the semi driver who got rear ended (in the photos) I'm ok. Had a heck of a time finding the family of the guy who developed a split personality in that accident, he tried hard to obscure where he lived.. Thankfully I'm better at research than he was at hiding. (I was a Police Dispatcher).

[jerseyjim]

Safety/crashes: Been RVing since the early 80's. Pickup truck/TT. (3) Now...a motorhome (for my retirement and probably my last RV) pulling a toad 4dwn.

I don't think anybody buys any RV with "safety" in mind. It's really buy what you want, buy what you can afford and buy what you think would serve your needs best.

EVERYTHING has wrecks: airplanes, buses, cars, motorcycles, and RVs of any kind. Even slipping in your own bathtub. So...stop this worry (paranoia?) about the very small chance (of crashing) and what you cannot control and live a little bit!
(When I took out insurance for the first time on my then-brand new motorhome, I was astounded as to how cheap it was...compared to my car insurance. Agent said...it was all in the numbers. Motorhome people do not wreck 'em.)

[alexleblanc]

Bruce Brown wrote:
We own both a PU/TT combo and a MH. I can tell you as far as traveling goes I **MUCH** prefer the MH and feel I'm in a lot better control.

And for the record, my truck is a '16 Super Duty diesel, our TT is a 33' Dutchman, and it is properly attached with the best Reese antisway, load leveling hitch money can buy.

Money can buy a much better Hensley or Propride.

[Mike_Hohnstein]

Here

Here

[Kayteg1]

You need to learn to see what is important.
No matter how nasty the above pictures look, please notice that in all those crash vehicles passenger cage is mostly intake.
Bus passengers don't use seat belts and that sometimes bring fatality, but I would be not surprised if from all those accidents people walk away.
Now observe how much passenger cage holds on average ClassA.

[2gypsies1]

OP: This is a duplicate post. You also have one going in the General RVing section.

[RFCN2]

Every rig gets a different safety rating. Comparing MH to Pick up towing a trailer I am going to say that the one I would most like to be in when a serious accident happened was a metal bus. Like a Prevost or Blue Bird. The one I would least like to be in is a lower end DP that is a box bolted to a rail chassis. Could be the old FC Blue Birds with the motor up front might be the safest. PU pulling a trailer is in the middle.

Our motorhome is very heavy with a solid heavy built semi-monocoque type construction. We have a thick fiberglass body. The metal buses are going to be safer.

[Gjac]

Dale.Traveling wrote:
At highway speeds it really doesn't matter what your in, car, pick up, budget RV or a bus. Its going to be ugly and people are going to get hurt or worse.

There are risks and hazards with everything we do every day. We each can decide for ourselves what our tolerance is and how we choose to limit exposure. Now stop worrying and go camping (well maybe after the snow melts).

I think your photos will cause more worry.

[Dale_Traveling]

At highway speeds it really doesn't matter what your in, car, pick up, budget RV or a bus. Its going to be ugly and people are going to get hurt or worse.

There are risks and hazards with everything we do every day. We each can decide for ourselves what our tolerance is and how we choose to limit exposure. Now stop worrying and go camping (well maybe after the snow melts).

[Blaster_Man]

MHs have seat belts and the seats are high, level with those in the cab of an 18 wheeler. If in a head on crash with a P/U, the MH driver will be above the impact.

[tsetsaf]

For the full time families with 3 kids... yes. There are no federal safety crash standards for RVs. As you note a Prevost is a bus and built to different standards but the average RV is not. Placing the kids in a pickups truck with belts and hold downs for car seats is safer.