A Woman's Perspective from the Driver's Seat

My husband is an instructor for the Aon RV Safe-Driving Course. While I was assisting him with a seminar, a woman waiting for her husband to finish the driving course approached me and confided that she hadn't bothered to take the course because there was no way she would ever drive their motorhome. She said it was just too big. Her husband did all the driving, and that was just fine with her. As far as they were both concerned, she belonged in the passenger seat.

With each and every course, I found more and more women in similar situations. There were lots of women who felt their role when it came to driving was to simply accompany their husband on trips as a passenger. Most of them had never been encouraged to become acquainted with the operation of the coach or to drive it.

Some women I know even refuse to get behind the wheel because they believe their husbands will be too critical. Oftentimes they have made attempts to drive but were made so nervous by their spouse's reactions that they refused to get back in the driver's seat. No one likes to be made fun of for making a mistake. But everyone has to start somewhere, so don't let constructive criticism scare you away.

Though for many years men have been the dominant drivers of RVs, women should feel just as capable and comfortable behind the wheel. As women we sometimes let others convince us of what we should or shouldn't do. I am far from being a feminist, but I do believe we are all capable of accomplishing any task we wish if we work hard enough-including driving a coach!

I am fortunate that my husband is a good coach when I'm driving. He is very constructive with his criticism and always encouraging. In fact, it was his idea that I learn to drive our motorhome. As many women are, I was a bit intimidated in the beginning. My husband loves to drive and has had many years of experience driving all different types and sizes of vehicle imaginable. Why should I learn? He's an excellent driver and always enjoys driving. With his encouragement, I got behind the wheel and was pleasantly surprised--I really enjoyed it. I finally realized why he loved it so much. You get a different feeling driving a coach once you conquer your fear of it. It's a challenge to learn to keep it safely between the lines, especially when a tractor-trailer passes you. But once you realize you can do it, there's such a great feeling of accomplishment and pride.

There is a certain satisfaction you get from driving a coach that you don't achieve with most other vehicles because there is so much to learn. It is a greater challenge, but one well worth the effort. Most of all, once you've gotten past your apprehension, you can be confident that should the need ever arise when you must drive, you can do so safely and competently. I experienced an ndescribable feeling of satisfaction from driving high above other vehicles.

The view of the highway from the driver's position is totally different than from the passenger seat. Now I am no longer content to let an entire trip go by without getting some driving time. Women are just as capable of driving the "big rigs" as men. Look around you on the highway. There are numerous female professional truck drivers now, and they are not all young. Some have quite a few years under their belt. Regardless of their experience level, most are good at what they do.

It is not quite as simple as one gentleman who attended the Aon RV Safe-Driving Course was told when he purchased his coach. When he asked his salesman to take him out in the coach and teach him how to handle it properly, he was told, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. If you can drive a car, you can drive a motorhome. All you need to do is get in and go."

You could do as the salesman suggested, but that is not a very safe way of going about it.

There's a lot to be learned before getting behind the wheel of such a large vehicle. Don't wait until an emergency situation arises before attempting to drive for the first time. An emergency situation creates additional stress, making it even more difficult to be collected. That's certainly not the most appropriate time to attempt to drive the coach.

Armed with some safety instruction and a patient teacher, you, too, can feel that driving a coach is an awesome experience. Here are some little things to help you get comfortable behind the wheel before you hit the road:

Begin by driving in small increments. For example, find a parking lot with few other vehicles and let the lines serve as lane markers. Then once you're comfortable there, move to an interstate highway that doesn't have much traffic. You can start off driving from one rest area to another. Driving about five miles per hour slower than the traffic is flowing will usually help to avoid having to pass any other vehicles. Concentrate on keeping your vehicle in the center of your lane. It often helps to have your instructor sit behind you rather than in the passenger seat. That will give your passenger a similar perspective of the vehicle's placement in the lane.

If you are the primary driver of your coach, take advantage of your partner's capabilities. Help her to learn how to drive your rig. Equip her with the proper instructions she'll need to be safe behind the wheel. Don't wait for an emergency to arise-that type of situation adds another level of stress. Rather, learning is so much easier in a relaxing atmosphere.

Better yet, take a driving course together. It can be a double benefit-she obtains the training she needs, and you get a refresher course for yourself. Encourage your partner to help with the driving. You may be surprised to see how nice it can be to have a little relief from driving, and your partner may find some enjoyment in driving as well. And should you ever be faced with an emergency situation, it will be much easier for her to do something she's been well-trained to do.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATION

If the operator becomes incapacitated: