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?

[NeverHome2]

I'm sorry for my bad math post. I meant 75,000 not 750,000 sorry I didn't notice the mistake before I posted. Never the less what I said is that there are more TT crashes than motor home crashes in my humble experience. Is it bad equipment, bad combinations, bad driving, bad road conditions? Probably all the above. Just like kayteg1's picture, that is what I have seen many times.

[Passin_Thru]

If you pull a TT with a pickup, it can be a dangerous combination. I have had several close calls when traffic came to a sudden stop. Had it jacknife on a slush covered road but knew to accelerate and head for the berm. I have seen 1 MH accident in over 3 million miles of travel and it was in Fl. The guy blew a front tire and went into the palms and caught fire. I did se one catch fire one day and burn the rearend off it begore FD arrived. Since 1967 I averaged 130000 miles driving. That's hard driving too. Ran team and we could do 1000 miles/day but you had to rest after 5 days. 3500 miles/week=175000 Must be an airplane driver.

[bobkatmsu]

I like to go by the old saying, "He with the most lug-nuts wins.

[Joatha]

These pics are just one reason I have a Bluebird.

I look through all of these pics and pretty much the only vehicle that wasn't crushed to the point of being hard to recognize is the bus. My Bluebird is as strong (or stronger) as that bus.

[AllegroD]

Well, Here's how we look at it. Our MH is safe enough for us and we enjoy it. That is what matters to us.

[Kayteg1]

Come'on guys,,, you are not going to lynch fellow member over decimal point error?

[holstein13]

mpierce wrote:

NeverHome2 wrote:
I don't know if this will have any relevance but here goes. I was an over the road truck driver for 27 years averaging 750,000 miles each year. During that time I witnessed lots of accidents just after the incidence. I never saw a class a accident, not saying there weren't any just none that I saw. On the other hand travel trailers pulled by vans, pick ups or suv's were a regular occurance. Almost every time the TT operator had passed me miles before the accident speeding and the trailer was wandering behind the tow vehicle. When I say speeding I mean over the 70 mph speed limit. If this has any bearing on the discussion, I don't know.

I too, am an over the road driver.

I call BS on you. 750,000 miles per year? BS!

That is 2,054 miles a day, 365 days a year! Now, you may be a "Super Trucker", but not even you can do that! 150,000 miles a year is a pretty busy year!

averaging 85 MPH 24 hours per day with no sleep or fuel stops. I'm calling shenanigans as well.

[Kayteg1]

Groover wrote:
the idea of a camping trailer coming through the cab is not appealing either.

No matter general idea, you always should do your final homework.
I think the link above gives good idea how to compare German quality chassis with US build camper.

[Groover]

The discussion of safety in rollover reminds me of an article I read shortly after the much publicised Ford Explorer rollovers. On of the major car magazines compiled a list death rate due to rollovers for almost every vehicle on the road and compared it with the government test for vehicle stability. They found that the MORE stable the vehicle the higher the death rate. The Corvette had the highest death rate due to rollover and double decker buses had the lowest(0). '
Their take-away from the exercise was that the driver was the most important element of the equation and that making a driver feel safe often led to more reckless driving that more than undid the safety improvements. Anti-lock brakes did little to reduce accidents because people with them drove faster and tail-gated more. I have read that one study showed that you are no more likely to die at 65mph without airbags as you are at 70mph with them. This is both due to the extra energy in the accident and the increased likleyhood of being in an accident.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in safety features and just ordered a new truck with every safety device available. I just don't feel that they are any substitute for driving a little slower, always sober and as alert as possible. I don't like the idea of getting pushed through the windshield of my motorhome by my refridgerator but the idea of a camping trailer coming through the cab is not appealing either.

[mpierce]

NeverHome2 wrote:
I don't know if this will have any relevance but here goes. I was an over the road truck driver for 27 years averaging 750,000 miles each year. During that time I witnessed lots of accidents just after the incidence. I never saw a class a accident, not saying there weren't any just none that I saw. On the other hand travel trailers pulled by vans, pick ups or suv's were a regular occurance. Almost every time the TT operator had passed me miles before the accident speeding and the trailer was wandering behind the tow vehicle. When I say speeding I mean over the 70 mph speed limit. If this has any bearing on the discussion, I don't know.

I too, am an over the road driver.

I call BS on you. 750,000 miles per year? BS!

That is 2,054 miles a day, 365 days a year! Now, you may be a "Super Trucker", but not even you can do that! 150,000 miles a year is a pretty busy year!

[NeverHome2]

I don't know if this will have any relevance but here goes. I was an over the road truck driver for 27 years averaging 750,000 miles each year. During that time I witnessed lots of accidents just after the incidence. I never saw a class a accident, not saying there weren't any just none that I saw. On the other hand travel trailers pulled by vans, pick ups or suv's were a regular occurance. Almost every time the TT operator had passed me miles before the accident speeding and the trailer was wandering behind the tow vehicle. When I say speeding I mean over the 70 mph speed limit. If this has any bearing on the discussion, I don't know.

[JetAonly]

Effy wrote:

JetAonly wrote:
I did a quick check. There are ~100 people killed per year by home invasion and 26 per year in Class A accidents, so you are safer in any class A than sitting in your rocking chair at home.

Don't take my word, look for your self.

http://livingstingy.blogspot.com/2014/04/are-motorhomes-safe.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/gun-violence-and-the-irrational-fear-of-home-inv...

Statistics are skewed. The ratio of home ownership to MH ownership is not even close.

Doesn't matter. Total deaths are total deaths. If you own a MH and House you are in both pools equally.

[Effy]

JetAonly wrote:
I did a quick check. There are ~100 people killed per year by home invasion and 26 per year in Class A accidents, so you are safer in any class A than sitting in your rocking chair at home.

Don't take my word, look for your self.

http://livingstingy.blogspot.com/2014/04/are-motorhomes-safe.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/gun-violence-and-the-irrational-fear-of-home-inv...

Statistics are skewed. The ratio of home ownership to MH ownership is not even close.

[JetAonly]

I did a quick check. There are ~100 people killed per year by home invasion and 26 per year in Class A accidents, so you are safer in any class A than sitting in your rocking chair at home.

Don't take my word, look for your self.

http://livingstingy.blogspot.com/2014/04/are-motorhomes-safe.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/gun-violence-and-the-irrational-fear-of-home-inv...