Compassionate South Carolina Injury Lawyers Fight to Protect Clients’ Rights After an RV Accident
Recreational vehicles (RVs) come in many forms, from tiny teardrop trailers to full-size motorcoaches. These vehicles fill South Carolina roads as vacationers enjoy the state’s sunny weather and picturesque scenery.
The size and weight of full-size RVs and motorcoaches give them the power to do major damage in a crash. Trailers can swing or come loose, causing injuries and other issues. If an RV or camper crash occurs, serious injuries can result in multiple visits to the doctor’s office and require ongoing treatment or surgeries.
If you’ve been injured in a South Carolina RV accident, talk to an experienced personal injury attorney today. The team at the Steinberg Law Firm can help.
Types of Recreational Vehicles
The term “recreational vehicle” covers various camping, traveling, and living vehicles. Among these are motor homes, motor coaches, trailers, and converted vehicles.
Motor Homes and Motor Coaches
Motor homes and motor coaches include a living space and the vehicle’s engine and driver’s seat within the same vehicle. They’re also known as camper vans or coaches.
The precise definition of these vehicles – and the sort of license you need to drive one – varies by state. KOA Campgrounds generally recognizes three classes of motorized RVs:
Class A motorhomes typically have six wheels. These motorhomes and motor coaches can range from basic models to custom-designed luxury vehicles with six-figure price tags.
Class B motorhomes are often smaller than Class A models. They may look more like a van. Some Class B motorhomes start with basic van frames; RV manufacturers raise roof heights, install fixtures and appliances, and may even lengthen the chassis to turn the vehicle into a motorhome.
Class C motorhomes are often distinguishable by the “sleeper” section that hangs over the front cab. Class C motorhomes may start with a truck chassis rather than a van chassis, retaining their “truck-ish” look when completed. The related “Super C” motorhome combines the Class C’s truck features with a heavy-duty engine, making them popular for travelers who expect to face rough terrain or who wish to tow their passenger vehicle or another trailer as they travel.
These motorhomes all include driving space within the living space. While convenient, this arrangement can also increase the risk of driver distraction.
Federal law allows motorhome passengers to ride in seats within the living space, even if those seats don’t require seatbelts. However, it’s safest for passengers to wear seatbelts at all times when the vehicle is traveling.
Trailers
Some families opt for towable RVs instead of choosing a motorhome. Towable travel trailers range in size and price. The largest fifth-wheel trailers offer the most space, but they also contribute the most weight to a vehicle and can be the most challenging to pull.
Smaller camping trailers are also popular in South Carolina. Many camping trailers offer fold-out or pop-up features. When opened, the trailer provides additional space for sleeping or indoor activities. These trailers are also known as tent trailers or pop-up trailers. The smallest versions may offer room for only a single bed inside and are often teardrop-shaped, earning them the title “teardrop trailers.”
Summer travelers can also supplement their cargo capacity with sport utility trailers, also known as sport utility RVs or “toy haulers.” These trailers combine living space with space to haul dirt bikes, golf carts, and similar equipment.
Truck campers aren’t typically towed behind a pickup truck. Instead, they fit in the back of a truck, turning the pickup into a temporary camper van. They’re also a popular choice among travelers who want both flexibility and comfort on the road.
Converted Vehicles
Do-it-yourself camper vehicle conversions are becoming more popular. Purchasing a van, SUV, minivan, or pickup and turning it into a portable living space is a fun project for many travelers. It offers the opportunity to customize the vehicle and use it for travel and living space.
Driving these converted vehicles can pose challenges, however. Conversions change a vehicle’s weight and handling on the road. In the event of an accident, the costs of damages to personal property and custom additions can add up. For those who live in their converted vehicles full-time, a totaled vehicle means the driver is not only without a vehicle, but also without a place to live.
Common Causes of RV Accidents in South Carolina
Many RV accidents result from the same factors as other vehicle accidents. Speeding, intoxication, distraction, hidden vehicle defects, and similar issues can lead to a crash in an RV, just as in any vehicle.
The unique features of RVs and the people who choose them can make these accidents more dangerous than ordinary vehicle crashes. The size and momentum of an RV, its high center of gravity, hidden defects, and driver inexperience can all increase both the risk and the severity of a crash.
Speed and Size
In a crash, the momentum of the vehicles affects the force transferred to the bodies of drivers, passengers, and others. RVs can do more damage in a car crash than many passenger vehicles because of their faster speed and larger size.
RVs may also be more likely to speed on South Carolina roads. Drivers who are unfamiliar with an RV may not realize that the vehicle needs a greater distance to slow down and stop than their usual passenger vehicle. Drivers hauling trailers or truck campers with their usual cars also need time to learn how their vehicle handles the additional camper weight. As a result, these drivers may inadvertently speed when speed limits change or may have trouble stopping in time to avoid an accident.
Slower RV speeds can also be dangerous. A slow-moving RV may cause traffic backups. Slow-moving RVs can be difficult to pass, especially when their size impairs a driver’s view of the road ahead.
High Center of Gravity
Motorhomes, converted vehicles, and truck campers all create a higher center of gravity than conventional passenger vehicles or trucks without campers. This higher center of gravity makes the vehicle more likely to roll over, especially during emergency maneuvers such as sudden braking or swerving.
Even an experienced driver may initiate a rollover if they brake or swerve too quickly. A rollover can damage other vehicles in its path, causing serious injuries.
Rentals
In South Carolina and other states, many travelers rent an RV instead of purchasing one. Rental drivers may have little or no experience behind the wheel of an RV.
This lack of experience can cause many issues. Drivers may be unfamiliar with the vehicle’s blind spots and merge or turn without realizing they can’t see other vehicles or pedestrians. Rental drivers may fail to slow down or stop safely because they aren’t ready for the additional braking distance an RV requires. They may even cause a rollover accident if they don’t know how to handle the vehicle’s high center of gravity.
Even experienced, careful RV drivers may experience issues with rentals. A rental company must ensure its vehicles receive regular maintenance and prompt repairs. If issues are missed due to late inspections or aren’t repaired, a driver may find themselves involved in a crash they could not have prevented.
Driver Licensing
Driver licensing rules for RVs vary by state. In South Carolina, drivers must have a Class E or Class F driver’s license if their RV’s gross vehicle weight (GVW) is over 26,000 pounds.
The gross vehicle weight is also called the “curb weight.” It is the weight of the vehicle when the vehicle contains no passengers or cargo. It’s important to distinguish the gross vehicle weight from the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), which measures how much the vehicle can carry.
Any trailer that contains living space must be registered and bear an up-to-date license plate. The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles can issue plates to camper trailers and travel trailers, as well as to livestock trailers with attached living quarters.
RV Safety Rules in South Carolina
The SCDMV offers an RV manual to prepare RV drivers for Class E or Class F licensing requirements. It also provides helpful information for anyone who drives or tows a recreational vehicle in the state.
The manual focuses on several safety points that come up frequently in RV accident cases.
- Visibility. Using headlights from sunrise to sunset and in inclement weather or low visibility can help other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians spot your vehicle and avoid a crash. It can also help you see others on the road in time to avoid an accident.
- Tires and wheels. Many large vehicle accidents result from issues with tires or wheels each year. Inspecting tires and wheels can help you spot visible problems. Rental companies and RV manufacturers must also take care to ensure that no hidden tire or wheel issues may cause a crash.
- Mirrors. Using an RV’s side mirrors for a rear view of the vehicle often poses a challenge to inexperienced drivers. Large “blind spots” on full-size vehicles, even with these mirrors, can also pose risks.
- Load ratings. Like all vehicles, RVs – whether motorhomes or towed campers – have maximum load limits. It’s important to load these vehicles within their limits and to secure loads to keep them from shifting during travel.
- Seat belts. The SCDMV recommends that everyone in an RV wear their seat belt at all times when the vehicle is in motion. Unsecured people or pets can suffer serious injuries if an accident occurs. Federal safety standards don’t require seat belts in all RV seats. Bench seating in a dining area, for example, isn’t required to have a seat belt. Passengers are not required to wear a seat belt while in these seats.
- Speed limits. Like other vehicles, RVs must follow South Carolina speed limit laws. They may not exceed posted speed limits. RVs must also avoid traveling so slowly that they impede traffic or pose a safety risk. Slow-moving RVs should use their lights to signal that they’re moving slowly.
Other hazards can also surround RVs on the road. After an injury accident, it’s important to speak to an experienced South Carolina RV accident attorney. Your lawyer can help you determine who is responsible for the crash and seek the compensation you need.
Speak to An Experienced South Carolina RV Accident Attorney Today
For most travelers, an RV means fun and adventure. Yet, a distracted driver on the road, an inattentive pedestrian or bicyclist, or a hidden defect in the vehicle can turn a fun vacation into a tragedy.
If you or someone you love was injured in an RV crash, reach out to the Steinberg Law Firm today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. Call us or use our online form to schedule your conversation with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers.
