Dangerous RV places to avoid and how to stay safe on the road

By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, Izzy and MJ from Endless RVing discuss dangerous RV places you want to avoid traveling. They also share a frightening encounter they had along with the steps they take to stay safe while on the road.

The couple stresses they didn’t produce the video to induce fear, but rather to share knowledge and help others stay safe. The purpose of the video is to help reduce the chances of your becoming the victim of a crime, while still being able to take advantage of free overnight parking in your RV. In the quest, they cover several topics and places they say are less safe than others.

#1 Parking on the street:
Unless you know the area well, you might be in danger of getting fined or towed on the street, as many areas do not allow overnight RV parking on their streets.

Even when RV street parking is allowed, the neighbors are often less than savory. They give a New York City example in the video along with a safer alternative. I can safely say the same conditions exist in Los Angeles, where I was driving today. I saw a lot of streets lined with broken-down, junky RVs that were incapable of moving.

Izzy and MJ say that large parking lots like Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Cabela’s, etc., make for far safer parking than on the street. Truck stops and rest stops, which usually have a lot of other people around, also make safer options. However, I will say that more and more of these are no longer allowing overnight parking.

#2 Dispersed camping/BLM lands:
Usually, you will have no problems in these areas, but the fact remains that you are way out in the middle of nowhere, and possible threats exist from both four-legged and two-legged animals. It will take a long time for help to arrive should you need it. That said, Izzy and MJ do still camp in these areas, but they are prepared (check out their separate video on security).

#3 Risky-looking campgrounds:
If your gut says something is wrong with a campground, listen to it. Even better, read reviews before booking, because if the campground is shady, chances are others will have talked about it.

More safety and security tips:

• Level: Make sure you are level and that your RV can’t start rolling anyplace.
• Trees: Check out the trees. Are they looking dead or like they could topple over? If so, park elsewhere.
• Water: If you are parking on or near a beach, make sure you are well out of the way of rising tides.
• RV security systems: Watch the video for a discussion of what our hosts use.
• RV locks: Most RVs from the factory can be opened with a few master keys. Upgrading your lock to one like this keypad version from Ristow can help.
• Firearms: This is controversial, but Izzy, a former police officer, recommends carrying a firearm if you can legally do so. If not, he recommends carrying pepper spray, bear spray, etc.—anything you can defend yourself with in a pinch.
• Food: Do not leave food outside as it attracts wildlife to your camp.
• Motion sensor lighting: Motion sensor exterior lighting like this can give you an early warning of people or animals outside your RV.
• Be prepared if you are camping remotely. Have plenty of water, an empty gray and black tank, and ways to charge your devices and stay in communication.

Izzy and MJ did have a semi-scary wildlife encounter with a coyote that just kept coming at them. This was probably due to humans feeding it so it lost its fear (you should never feed the wildlife). Luckily for them, they threw an apple at it and it went away without the need to shoot.

Do you have other safety and security tips? How about other dangerous RV places you always avoid? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

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