Just do it.....

Puddleduck

Puddleduck

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I know we have discussed this before but it bears airing again.....

If you are a couple (or a family with more than one driver) it doesn't make any sense for one person to do all the driving and other drivers to be frightened or lack experience in driving the motorhome.

If the usual driver is unable to drive for any reason then the unusual driver (in the nicest sense) needs to be able to take control. Just get out there and do it - take a lesson or two if you need to but please, please get yourself confident enough to be able to drive the beast.
 
If two drivers are named on the insurance, should one become incapacitated, they would expect the other driver to drive.
 
rose can drive our van. and has driven it quite a lot. even before I got power steering. but she lets me drive now. good of her.
 
I tend to do the slogs on motorways. I let Him Indoors do the fiddly bits at either end because [1] I don't want to do them and [2] he's not that good at navigating. :(
Don't tell him but it's more [1] than [2]. :D

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Our only problem with this concept is that Jackie is only licenced up to 3.5 tonnes and our Iveco is a 4.2 tonne chassis.





















Not to mention that most occasions we are out with the camper we are on our way to a show or race weekend so she is driving the Ducato work van. :-)

D.
 
You are right ... I need to learn to drive our MH and it would be better to learn to do it when not stressed! I have reversed it a few times on site and driven an old clapped out horsebox in the past. To be honest I drive less and less now we are both retired. Guess I would just dump the motorhome if push came to shove! Don't Caravan Club Red pennant take your vehicle home if disaster strikes ...that might be a good idea for foreign trips.
 
My wife is a fairly confident driver but needed lessons to drive the MH which she did with the CC last year, now she does her fair share of the driving which is a relief to me as I don't arrive on site shattered. :)
 
We made that mistake with boats and ended up with only me being able to helm the 47' gin palace as my wife hadn't learnt the hard way in the smaller stuff.

We both drove our Autotrail tag axle and now we have an RV we are sharing the driving and the learning. She gets a few looks at the wheel of the Damon!

David

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I like to be in control of my own destiny!
I've always enjoyed driving and don't fancy sitting there with the kids screaming as I $hit myself ,not the best start to a holiday.
She doesn't even get the controls for the tv ,never mind behind the wheel.



Vlad
 
Vlad The Impaler said:
I like to be in control of my own destiny!
I've always enjoyed driving and don't fancy sitting there with the kids screaming as I $hit myself ,not the best start to a holiday.
She doesn't even get the controls for the tv ,never mind behind the wheel.
Vlad
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I like it............ a real man.... (y) :D
 
My missus was a driver for 7 years before I finally got round to it. She usually does the middle motorway bit on long hauls through Europe - I do the twiddly bits at either end. Mrs TomTom does all the navigating.

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Fortunately Dolly loves driving "Freddie" and thank God she does. In November she had to drive me back to England from Spain when I was suffering from chest pains.
To all those who don't or won't drive, please remember one day you might find yourself in a similar situation.
 
When we were tuggers Angela shared the driving, on a 3000mile holiday I drove 2980miles and she drove 20 lol.
 
old-mo said:
I bought one of these.... for my Misses.. (y)

Happy as a pig in $hit, she is... :BigGrin:

Going to be hell to pay when she realises it don`t do nuffink.. :doh:

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I don't just like this comment, I love it.
 
I am reminded of an experience with my first wife in the 70's. We got married in 1968 and I found a job in Zambia in 1976 for 2 years. We both had to take driving tests to satisfy the Zambian authorities that we could drive. Now, here's the thing, my wife passed her test on the first attempt in England. I passed on the fifth. My wife took great delight in these facts proving that she was a far better driver than me (I). She likes proper grammar.

However, with the Zambian test I passed first time. She did not. Her examiner said in a very heavy Zambian accent - "Ma'am, it is the children, I am very frightened for the little children."

My second wife was an American and a good driver. If she was driving I was happy to sit back and take a nap.

My third wife will not be allowed to read this post. Let me explain - there are times when we are anxious about the way our spouse is driving. We take a risk by criticising and some times we say things that just lead to arguments. On other occasions we remain silent and breathe a sigh of relief when we live through the hazard. To offer an urgent "look out" might be well received or it might be met with "I saw that, it's all under control". To up the ante just slightly, it takes a brave man to be so afraid of dying that he grabs the steering wheel and gives it a massive yank to the left to avoid a head on collision. I have done that, I saved two lives, there was no gratitude except from me to me. I never mention it, I don't discuss it. My therapist assures me the dreams will diminish in time.

But I will say this, she makes a very good omelette and she has agreed that I can buy my viagra on the internet instead of paying daft UK prices.
 
Ms Tigger drives when it suits her. Usually motorway and usually in the UK. I know she could cope with driving if she needed to and beyond that I'm happy doing the bulk of the driving. I won't trust anyone with navigation so it's sat nav all the way for us. If she's driving I have to translate the sat nav into girl for her.

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LOL

I want Pete to take me off the insurance for the simple reason that I'm $h!t scared of attempting to drive the thing.

Many reasons - it's far too big, it has no rear view mirror (since it has no rear window) I'm little myself and things aren't in comfy positions for me to reach with feet or hands, the value of the thing puts me off never having driven ANY expensive vehicle ever and last but not least - quite honestly - I am not now - if ever - a very brilliant driver, which makes me even more scared.

When I used to drive 60k miles a year - I'd have been well up for giving it a bash - but I haven't done that for about 20 years. And the driving certainly ain't as good now as it was then - it most likely wasn't really good then - but at least I enjoyed most of it. I don't enjoy it any more at all.

Oh - and I tried to tow my first husband in his car one day, he did say then, he'd never ever ask me again cos I didn't have a clue (correct dear) and he'd warn everyone we knew not to ask me. Think that was nearer 30 years ago.

And I've never been able to reverse park in my life though I will have a go at parallel parking - if I'm sure no-one is looking.

So I think I'm being entirely sensible TBH !
 
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Oh and I would like to add, I don't ever drive very far at all now, so you are most unlikely to suffer from my efforts! I tend to specialise in hitting stuff that won't bother you - eg either of our (brick)gateposts. Demolishing one and therefore making the entrance 2 ft wider really didn't help since I hit the end of the wall, lovingly made good by Pete - instead !
 
Interesting posts......

What would you do if the "usual" driver was no longer allowed to drive, say through chronic illness? Would you then sell the motorhome?

Just a thought.
 
I have to accept the facts.......... my wife is every bit as good a driver as me (probably better)......... it's just that she prefers to be chauffeured :eek:
 
sedge said:
LOL

Many reasons - it's far too big, it has no rear view mirror (since it has no rear window) I'm little myself and things aren't in comfy positions for me to reach with feet or hands, the value of the thing puts me off never having driven ANY expensive vehicle ever and last but not least - quite honestly - I am not now - if ever - a very brilliant driver, which makes me even more scared.


And I've never been able to reverse park in my life though I will have a go at parallel parking - if I'm sure no-one is looking.
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The size no longer worries me..... my first car was micra size and then I got a mini-bus - I was a much better driver in the mini-bus - more "positive" as I had "right of size" and got more respect - probably more a mental thing than actual but there we are.

If things are not comfortable I don't think there is much you can do after you've fiddled with and altered the controls as far as possible. It might be that the vehicle is not for you - we've all tried out vehicles like that I think. Perhaps you could get some adaptations? Ours has a hand brake extender for example.

No rear view mirror bothered me as well - solved by having a camera put on the back. Yes, I did use the wing mirrors but there was still a huge blind spot that I wasn't comfortable about.

Reversing any vehicle is all to do with practice. Some people do have a built in sense of space and dimensions but most of us don't. I do all the fiddly driving stuff in the motorhome - Martin doesn't like reversing anything although he will of he has to. We do use walkie-talkies and have the person not driving talking into the handset at all times..... the driver's handset being left on "receive" and on the dash. It works..... "left hand down.... no OTHER left hand" :rofl:

Sure the vehicle is expensive but it would be a white elephant of left on the drive or in storage so it's worth taking a deep breath and getting behind the wheel.

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I haven't yet driven our PVC, I chauffeured Nige around for 18 months when he had to surrender his licence for medical reasons, so it now his turn to chauffeur me :).
I know I'm completely capable of driving it, so for now Nige is happy to do the driving as he doesn't believe I will drive it slowly enough, he's convinced I will drive it the same as my cars A to B as fast as safely as possible. I wouldn't though, now retired I'm sure I can drive like Miss Daisy if required :D

Lin
 
Puddleduck said:
Interesting posts......

What would you do if the "usual" driver was no longer allowed to drive, say through chronic illness? Would you then sell the motorhome?

Just a thought.
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Probably have to... :( Judy`s 70th looming soon, and doubt she would pass the medical to keep her C1 of E.. :crying1:
 
old-mo said:
Probably have to... :( Judy`s 70th looming soon, and doubt she would pass the medical to keep her C1 of E.. :crying1:
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:(

But would you buy something smaller?

Judy does drive the motorhome I assume?
 
Puddleduck said:
Interesting posts......

What would you do if the "usual" driver was no longer allowed to drive, say through chronic illness? Would you then sell the motorhome?

Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I will tie him up, gag him and put him in the garage. Better still I could post him home, have a couple of nice coffees and get on with it. No worries.
 
Puddleduck said:
:(

But would you buy something smaller?

Judy does drive the motorhome I assume?
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She does,,,, but is not keen... :rolleyes:

We need the oomph of a big engine and space to drag the Toad on a trailer or "A" frame.. and mobility scooter and wheel chair..

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