Caution: First-Time RV Renters Hitting America’s Highways
Family vacations in a rented recreational vehicle are at an all-time high. The pandemic has left us looking for safer alternatives than airlines and amusement parks. RV's have plenty of room, it can sleep the entire family, and the kids can play board games and stare at Tik Tok for hours on end while good 'ol dad drives the beast down the open road. But one small problem is emerging: first-time drivers of the mighty Winnegao are having a tough time maneuvering these rigs.
Readers responded recently to a Wall Street Journal article titled 'Rookie RV Drivers Jam America's Roads—Watch Out' and it's pretty entertaining. Julie Homrich said they had to landscape their entire yard after her husband “ran over the bushes and backed into our trees.”
Another responded with, "Every time we backed in, we ran over something.”
And fast-food drive-thrus presented a whole other set of issues for some. Drive-thru lanes are typically 12 feet high so several overhead awnings are taking a beating. One owner said he was smart enough to walk into a Starbucks to make their order. Getting out of the parking lot was a different issue saying, “I tried to go wide. Then I heard a sudden crash. The pole next to the building pummeled my RV. It was a $200 coffee.”
So when driving along I-90 with a gusty south wind, be careful when passing. That RV may or may not have an experienced driver behind the wheel.
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