Are you allowed to have people in the camper that uses the 5er hitch when driving?

Thanks?

 

Laws regarding passengers in 5th wheel RVs vary by state. Even where it is permitted, there are usually regulations requiring safety glass in the RV, communication capability with the driver of the tow vehicle, etc.

Regardless of the law, I and the other RVers I camp with don't allow it. If you've ever seen an RV after an accident, you'll understand why.

JM2CW

Rusty

 

Excellent point! My parents are thinking about an RV and haven't decided on a 5er or a small motor coach.

Thanks again!

 

Insofar as accident protection, class A motorhomes (other than the high $$$$ bus conversions like Newell, Prevost, Marathon, BlueBird, etc.) aren't much better than 5th wheels. If safety is a concern, a class B (van conversion) or class C (built on a E-350 or E-450 van cab/chassis, typically) are probably a better bet. Personally, I'd go for a 5th wheel with a crew (or in Dodge's case, almost a crew) cab truck if I weren't carrying more than 4-5 people, but that's just me.

Rusty

 

I have seen to many trailers in major accidents. Usually nothing left but the frame, with everything above the frame scattered to hell and back.

 

sometimes it's hard to identify the frame.

 

I FORBID anyone to ride in my fiver even though it is legal here (I think).
Tom

 

If youv'e ever peeled back the skin of a modern RV ... all you'll find is a frame usually made of lightweight pine stapled together with pink insualation. Scary to think of anybody inside it during an accident!

 

Here's a link to state laws about riding in a RV

http://www.rvsafety.com/Passenger%20Laws.htm

 

Thanks Pappyman.

 

We are all getting a lot more safety conscious. As a kid, I logged an awful lot of miles riding in the back of an open bed pickup.

 

We drive a lot faster that we used too! It was safer then to ride in the back.

 

I heard it described this way...
Would you put your family in a cardboard box and set them in the middle of the highway? Kinda makes you think.

I won't do it.

 

Forget about the accidents.

What about the people in a 5er if the driver has to slam on the brakes???!!!! Where are they going to end up???? Passengers need to be in the towing vehicle seats with safety belts on, period.

 

Here in California the law says no passengers are allowed in a pull trailer, passengers are allowed in a fifth-wheel as long as there is communication between the trailer and tow vehicle. I would never allow a passenger to ride in the trailer. Think of all the pots and pans, canned goods, utencils, and stuff in your rig, then imagine them becoming projectiles in a sudden stop. I can hardly imagine the severity of injuries an unrestrained passenger would sustain in an accident. That's why there's seatbelts and airbags in the truck.

My two cents