Crashes Can Ruin Your Whole Day

An RVer pulling his travel trailer on Washington's I-5 found out that rolling your rig can ruin your whole day. While trying to pass an 18-wheeler, Rudolf Miksche lost control of his rig, and rolled the whole works over. Another driver plowed on into the mess, compounding the misery. Miksche's passenger wound up in the hospital with head injuries. You can read the story on KGW.com

This kind of thing can happen even to experienced RVers. A few safety points for those new to the game always bear repeating:

Keep the speed moderate--braking distances are dramatically increased with a trailer. Control issues are compounded by higher speeds.

Steer gradually--not with sudden swings which can raise Caine with control.

If your trailer sways, stay off the brake! Instead, reduce the trailer speed by using the brake control switch to apply ONLY the trailer brakes.

If side winds or buffeting from a larger passing vehicle starts a sway, back off the gas and keep a firm hand on the wheel.

Use caution on narrow roads--don't get off on a soft-shoulder or you may lose control.

Check out more safety tips from Uncle Sam in a free downloadable booklet.


Washington State Patrol photo from KGW.COM