Many residents of Maryland enjoy riding recreational vehicles during their free time. If you’re considering getting an RV, you should know the statistics on accidents involving them.
Common causes of RV accidents
Often, people who get recreational vehicles (RVs) are inexperienced and don’t know how to safely control them. As a result, this can lead to more RV accidents occurring. RVs are much larger than passenger cars and have special requirements for operating safely. Similar to trucks, they need plenty of extra room when sharing the road with other vehicles to make turns or stop.
In addition to inexperienced drivers, RV accidents occur because of blind spots, speeding or reckless driving. Usually, these collisions occur because of the vehicle’s trailer swaying. The most common cause of this problem is windy weather. Sway accidents usually result in minor injuries to victims.
Statistics on RV accidents
Around 9 million people in the United States own a recreational vehicle. Many others rent them to use during their vacation time. While 10% of all riders are seniors, younger people are becoming more drawn to RVs and are buying or renting them. Sadly, when accidents occur, they result in around 75,000 serious injuries requiring hospitalization each year. Around 26 people die annually after being involved in RV accidents.
In spite of accidents being more common when drivers lack experience or discipline, RVs are considered safer than other vehicles. Deaths from RV accidents account for only around 0.44% for every 100 million vehicles.
The most common RV accident-related injury affects the victim’s head. Usually, minor head injuries occur when an occupant of an RV hits their head on something while in the vehicle.