Jon's RV Driving Tips

Parking Tips

Parking and moving in and out of tight parking lots are possibly the most intimidating maneuvers for new drivers of RV's. Some very important tips follow.

• Get quickly out of traffic. Remember that you have a lot of extra vehicle sticking out behind you, and do not let it hang out in the traffic lane! Do not begin pulling into a parking lot until you know that the vehicle in front of you has moved far enough to allow you to get ALL of your vehicle in.
• Remember when turning left across traffic you have extra vehicle length to get past oncoming traffic. Wait for a good opening.
• Look for spaces to park where you can pull through to leave, avoiding backing out.
• Look up! There will rarely be parking lots with overhead obstacles, but many campgrounds, driveways, and side streets may have them. (When you look up, remember that your RV may have an air conditioner out of your view on top that is even higher than the body of the vehicle itself.)
• Be aware that your vehicle's rear end protrudes quite a long ways out beyond the rear wheels. This means that when you turn your vehicle to the RIGHT, the rear end is arcing out to the LEFT and may clip a mailbox, gate post, sign or person.
• Watch out for dips in the roadway. Human and inanimate. Pedestrians always have the right-of-way, and they often are oblivious to their surroundings (unlike small animals, which will nearly always scamper quickly to safety when you approach.) Dips formed by depressions in the road surface may damage the underside of your vehicle.
• When it really seems necessary you may allow a passenger to get out of the vehicle to assist you in parking (see next section on Backing and Maneuvering.)