It feels a bit ‘alien’ when you drive a motor home for the first time, especially if you’re not used to steering a vehicle this size. Don’t let this put you off though, although it appears a little daunting at first, driving a motor home is fairly simple once you have mastered the controls and taken a few things into account…
Get to know the home
By this we don’t mean introduce yourself to the home, we mean check the physical size of the vehicle. Learn the length, the width and the height of the motor home, you might want to jot this down and leave it in a prominent position within the cab. Get to know the physical dimensions of the vehicle so you know where it will fit and which routes are best left avoided.
Take things gradually
Go slowly until you get used to the size of the vehicle, there’s no rush as long as you aren’t holding traffic up behind. Slowly but surely ‘feel’ your way into the vehicle, make extra allowances for overtaking parked vehicles, turning and cornering. The motor home will feel larger and heavier than you are used to but after short while you’ll soon get used to the difference in size and weight.
Read the road
Constantly look for dangers ahead in the road, if you see obstacles way in advance it gives you more time to react. Allow more time for braking and leave a good distance to the vehicle in front, double the amount you’d normally leave in car.
Check your mirrors
Always check your mirrors when you are driving a motorhome, pay attention to ‘blind spots’ behind the cab doors. Mirrors on modern motor homes give you a really clear view of the road behind, check them frequently and never change lane or try to reverse the vehicle until you know the coast is clear.
Practice!
The more you drive your motor home the more your confidence will grow. So get out in it at every available opportunity, you’ll soon become an expert behind the wheel. Happy travelling!
