A Youtube user recently shared a video that captured his Class A motorhome getting completely totaled on the freeway after colliding with a truck. According to the video, the driver was heading southbound on I-15 near Temecula, California when he made an evasive measure to avoid a car on his left but was not able to fully change lanes in time to avoid the stopped semi-truck ahead of him on his right.
The wreck caused extensive damage to his rig, but thankfully he was the only one in the vehicle at the time and was able to walk away safely. His expansive 1800-watt solar panel system was also somehow not damaged in the incident either.
The RV was equipped with a professional camera system that captured the whole accident from several different angles. Check it out below:
The video was discussed on this iRV2 forum thread as to whether or not the crash was the driver’s fault. One member, Sailor Don, says:
IMHO this guy should not be allowed to drive a motorhome. All he was concerned about was the survival of his solar panels.
What if he hit a Ford Escape and killed a few people with his dangerous driving skills? Would he still be extolling the virtues of his robust solar cells?
Occasionally there are some dangerous drivers in motorhomes.
As a secondary comment, I find it amazing that these motorhomes costing a few $100,000 have no structural strength. This crash looks like sheets of plywood nailed together and strapped down to a motorhome frame. Not very safe from a motor vehicle safety aspect.
Another user added:
I would say that they are an inexperienced driver. They were clearly not tailgating, but were not paying attention to the road ahead. They move to the center lane as an evasive measure, but do not go far enough. You can see they make the lane change, then goes straight until it hits the truck. This indicates to me, someone who is unaware of where their right side is. Had they gone a foot farther left, they wouldn’t have even hit the truck. You are supposed to be able to stop at all times. They clearly were not. It’s easy to criticize, but something like that could happen to anyone. That’s why I prefer to drive at maximum 60 mph. It makes handling emergency situations a lot easier than going 75 mph.
What do you think about the video? Let us know in the comments below.
See also:
- Watch This Speeding Camper Flip And Crash On The Highway
- The Smartest Way to Avoid RV Wrecks and Disasters
From the video, it appears the driver is driving without maintaining a proper long range scan ahead. By the time he realizes the right lane is obscured, he attempts to move to the center lane which unfortunately is occupied by the white car. He swerves (as does the white car) too late and clips the truck. Lucky for him, it appears no one was injured. From my naval service: lack of situational awareness. I consider myself an experienced driver but still learned some pointers from an RV Safety Driver Safety Course at Lazy Days!
RV structural inadequacy is rife. Total lack of bumpers in both RVs and cars is an obscenity. This will not change until consumers demand products built for function rather than cosmetics. Dealers should be enjoined to demonstrate bumpers tests. Failing candidates should be rejected.
A cardinal rule in flying as well as driving either a car, truck or a motor-home. SEE AND AVOID! Works for me either flying or driving.
Wow! Why didn’t anyone slow down? You could clearly see the stalled semi up ahead.. Couldn’t hear the sound even with the volume turned all the way up?
You don’t drive a Class A, or any class RV for that matter as if it is a SUV or a car. They don’t ‘stop on a dime and leave nine cents change’. If in a ‘want to be there before you leave,’ take another mode of transportation.
Totally RV drivers fault, I could see that coming way back. All he had to do was pay attention and slow down. The truck he hit may have stopped but the trucks in front of it were also stopped. the driver of the truck he hit was paying attention and stopped when he saw the traffic in front of him were stopped.
The commenters are correct. When you are seated behind that round thing (steering wheel) your job is to DRIVE / nothing else. Too many people behind the wheel are obviously doing something else.
Speed and not looking far enough ahead. A retired truck driver friend of mine told me that your head should always be moving left to right, checking mirrors, rear camera monitor, checking dashboard gauges, and continuing that process. And looking as far forward as the highway will allow. That 15 freeway through there is 70 mph. No reason for an rv to travel at that speed alongside cars and pickups. This accident was avoidable.
Should learn to drive before worrying about stupid solar panels. What if it had hit a small car with children in the back? Would he still be trying to sell solar junk!
Exactly why they need RV driver testing no matter what the RV is, 16ft TT, 40FT 5W, Class A, makes no difference. Test for what you drive, just like the M/C endorsement; under 250, under 1000, over 1000cc. Even commercial drivers have different tests, tankers, doubles, bus, all separate endorsements. Does it mean school? Maybe if you can’t pass the driving. Many will have no issues as they can safely drive the RV they own. There is a difference between your Prius and a 40Ft diesel pusher. Just my opinion as a retired LEO.
It’s California! Just sayin …..
Clearly the RV drivers fault. In five years of towing a 5th wheel I have found that way too many people drive an RV the same way as they drive the family car. You just can’t. You need to be actually driving at least a mile ahead of you and your eyes scanning your side mirrors constantly. He should have seen the stalled truck way before he actually came upon it and been slowing ready to take evasive action or even stop if he needed too.
I have been driving on highway 10 near Houston TX and seen RVs travelling in excess of 90 and 100 mph. Most trailer tires are only rated to 80mph you are just tempting a fatality at that speed.
California has a 55 mph speed limit for any vehicle towing a trailer on freeways, traffic and conditions permitting. The CHP allows big rigs to do 62. When more than 2 freeway lanes are available big rigs are allowed to travel in the center lane @ 62 avoiding on and off ramp conflicts. I travel in the center lane here at the same speed. This guy was all over the road and going slower in the #1 lane as cars in #2 & #3 were passing him. I don’t know if he could have braked enough to tuck behind the white car to his left, but that seemed the best option. Flying rules are not the best examples, i.e., if 2 a/c are flying in different directions other than head on…aim at the other one…it won’t be there when you are. When it doesn’t move in your windshield…you will hit it. It looks like it has stopped, but it could be going 200 mph. Situational awareness is mandatory on anything that moves, even railroads.
Agree that the driver was not paying enough attention nor scanning ahead. Could have been avoided. I pull a TT and will not go faster than 65MPH due to the rating of the trailer tires. Much of CA has a 55MPH speed for vehicles pulling trailers but you routinely see lifted pick-ups pulling toyhaulers at 70-80MPH. Sometimes people create accidents.
Lots of different vehicles and issues to deal with at high speed, not much time. Easy to criticize after the fact, it seems that the semi isn’t very far over on the shoulder, the multiple camera shots are interesting. I dodged a hay bail that tumbled off of a pickup truck on the same highway while in fast, heavy traffic, with multiple semi’s around me. Luck has a lot to do with it as well as dealing with the judgement (or lack there of) of other drivers.
So, the operator’s take away from this was “the solar panels survived” ? Incredible! His camera array accomplished something. It affirmed his negligent driving.
A lot a self righteous people on here and that is why 35,000 die every year on our highways. It is like you deserved to die and everyone in your vehicle. When I took drivers ed the instructor said to not use your brakes on the freeway. There is no need for it and it creates problems. I don’t need to as just releasing my foot from the pedal slows me down but there are some p[eople that think it is perfectly okay to slam on their brakes and come to a complete stop in a driving lane. When there is a slow down people don’t go along at a constant speed they speed up then stop not wanting anyone to get in front of them. The freeways should be wide enough for people to get over if they are going to stop. This guy I feel had a spatial issue with the width of this vehicle compared to his regular vehicle plus he was waiting for a car on his left to pass him so he could move over. The second stopped semi should have pulled over more to the right so people behind could have a good view of the issues up front which semis rarely do. I always move to the right of the lane so drivers behind me can see I’m not the one holding up traffic. Yes, it is always the person behinds fault in a rear end but the real issue is this is not a race track it is a freeway where people are supposed to follow rules like to NOT stay in the left lane. Don’t slow down to rubber neck a stopped car in the opposing lane. The highway design manual can make safer roads if the people would spend the money.
If you don’t use your brakes then the lights don’t illuminate and that is one less visual clue to other drivers to slow down…