Think my Motorhome days may be over (1 Viewer)

[daventess]

I think you’ll find that they aren’t tested whatsoever!

I find that hard to believe. I'm pretty sure no modern, factory produced vehicle can possibly be allowed to be sold without some safety testing standards being reached. Whether they are all equal or not is another matter.

 

[Carpmart]

I find that hard to believe. I'm pretty sure no modern, factory produced vehicle can possibly be allowed to be sold without some safety testing standards being reached. Whether they are all equal or not is another matter.

Have a Google. The base vans are crash tested as part of type approval. A class vehicles aren’t. Most of the deformable structure is missing in an A class. Nice composite front shells, but that really will not provide much protection..

Hence my original comment, I’d rather be in a type approved cab, than sitting behind an A class flimsy front clam shell!

 

[gus-lopez]

The person behind should be able to stop no matter what

True but if it is completely out of the blue even if you have left a huge distance , I had one in the Uk just before I retrurned fortunately I was a couple of hundred meters behind.Sunday morning, empty Mway 70mph & bloke stops dead in middle lane On come reversing lights. **** had been on phone,missed junction & still wanted to exit .Bloke on inside lane forced him to carry on.

I think you’ll find that they aren’t tested whatsoever!

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^

I find that hard to believe. I'm pretty sure no modern, factory produced vehicle can possibly be allowed to be sold without some safety testing standards being reached. Whether they are all equal or not is another matter.

Class A motorhomes (or “motorcoaches”) are least safe as they aren't crash tested and there are no standardized materials used to build these rigs—some are steel, whereas others are made with fiberglass.
Our opinion is that close to 50% of class A motor homes are structurally unsound and will not sustain a collision at 20 miles per hour without serious damage to the coach and the occupants. In many models there is no steel bar to act as a bumper to prevent damage in low-speed collisions.

AS said google it,

 

[The Old Man]

The person behind should be able to stop no matter what

I do agree but the point I tried to make is that, I am a slower driver, I know that my vehicle cannot stop as quick and short a distance as a modern car, I do not want to make emergency stop as it unsettles my payload!

So I choose to drive and leave a larger space than demanded between myself and the vehicle ahead of me!

So what happens? Another vehicle dives into my larger than usual space and steals my safety zone.

If an incident occurs at that moment I may well be challenged to make a safe and successful stop.

 

[CazPaul]

Have a read of this, our A class feels like it’s built like a brick sh1t house

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/concorde-accident.208260/

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[The Wino]

I do agree but the point I tried to make is that, I am a slower driver, I know that my vehicle cannot stop as quick and short a distance as a modern car, I do not want to make emergency stop as it unsettles my payload!

So I choose to drive and leave a larger space than demanded between myself and the vehicle ahead of me!

So what happens? Another vehicle dives into my larger than usual space and steals my safety zone.

If an incident occurs at that moment I may well be challenged to make a safe and successful stop.

I totally get that point but through roadworks where there's a single lane no one will pull in front and if as in the op post several vehicles crash into each other anyone after the first is presumably equally at fault.

 

[L' Hobo]

I do agree but the point I tried to make is that, I am a slower driver, I know that my vehicle cannot stop as quick and short a distance as a modern car, I do not want to make emergency stop as it unsettles my payload!

So I choose to drive and leave a larger space than demanded between myself and the vehicle ahead of me!

So what happens? Another vehicle dives into my larger than usual space and steals my safety zone.

If an incident occurs at that moment I may well be challenged to make a safe and successful stop.

and that is the reason you should invest in a good dashcam IF you haven't already got one.
A good one records your speed, video and much more!

PS. Your vehicle SHOULD be able to stop as quickly as a modern car, it's all about the amount of rubber that's in contact with the ground as specified by construction and use regulations.

PPS. Slightly worried about 'unsettling of payload' isn't EVERYTHING secured down or contained?

 

[L' Hobo]

I totally get that point but through roadworks where there's a single lane no one will pull in front and if as in the op post several vehicles crash into each other anyone after the first is presumably equally at fault.

Not if they had stopped in time and then pushed forward by another vehicle later.
Once again, a dashcam would show this.

 

[Puddleduck]

Not if they had stopped in time and then pushed forward by another vehicle later.
Once again, a dashcam would show this.

That happened to me

 

[PaulW2]

That is a nasty knock, but it does look repairable I would have thought. Hopefully you can get it sorted without too much trouble.

On the question of crash safety, there is of course a huge amount of crash testing that goes into modern high volume vehicles and their cab deformation zones. It seems very unlikely that a low volume niche product like an A class will be able to match this, and so the articles which say that a lot of them are unsafe are unsurprising.

The 'solidity' of the build itself also doesn't provide much reassurance. Earlier cars were often built very solidly but were nonetheless unsafe as they didn't dissipate energy efficiently in a crash.

That said, the rear end of a coachbuilt is presumably also a weak spot, at least for rear passengers.

As far as brakes and overall stability are concerned, my current van - a PVC - is my first van (the previous two were coachbuilt) which has braking and overall stability under braking that approaches that of a 'normal' vehicle. My 5.5 ton Iveco-based van was seriously underbraked; the 3.5 ton Peugeot Boxer-based coachbuilt wafted around like a leaf when overtaking high-sided lorries. The PVC just behaves like a modern panel van - not to the highest passenger car standards, but adequately.

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[HKF]

I had a worrying incident in my new VW car. Trying out the cruise control on a quiet dual carriageway, it decided to brake fairly quickly, as it thought I was approaching the roundabout above the road. Fortunatly there was nothing near me and I accelerated quite quickly, but I'm nervous about using it again now!

Excuse my ignorance but why would it do that? I've had many vehicles with cruise and not one of them had control of the brakes. Is braking part of the cruise control in new vehicles? Or is it the tech that avoids collisions that's kicked in?

 

[Nanniemate]

Excuse my ignorance but why would it do that? I've had many vehicles with cruise and not one of them had control of the brakes. Is braking part of the cruise control in new vehicles? Or is it the tech that avoids collisions that's kicked in?

New vehicles have automas breaking sadly some are so sensitive a reflection or even a leaf can trigger it .
Be warned its on LGVs and it stops them very quickly

 

[gus-lopez]

So I choose to drive and leave a larger space than demanded between myself and the vehicle ahead of me!

This ^^^^^^

So what happens? Another vehicle dives into my larger than usual space and steals my safety zone.

then this^^^^^^^^

f an incident occurs at that moment I may well be challenged to make a safe and successful stop.

exactly

New vehicles have automas breaking sadly some are so sensitive a reflection or even a leaf can trigger it .
Be warned its on LGVs and it stops them very quickly

& it should be banned as extremely unsafe.
The other think with driving a vehicle with a much higher seating position is that you are looking over the vehicle in front.You can see miles down the road .I often find myself having to slow as people have applied the brakes becuase they have seen a brake light come on twelve fileds ahead when in fact there is no reason why anybody should have braked.Which also leads us to another bad driving habit , in why do people actually brake when all that is needed on most occasions is to lift off & allow natural slowing to increase the distance. This is another reason why traffic comes to a halt for no reason whatsoever.

 

[Nanniemate]

This ^^^^^^

then this^^^^^^^^

exactly

& it should be banned as extremely unsafe.
The other think with driving a vehicle with a much higher seating position is that you are looking over the vehicle in front.You can see miles down the road .I often find myself having to slow as people have applied the brakes becuase they have seen a brake light come on twelve fileds ahead when in fact there is no reason why anybody should have braked.Which also leads us to another bad driving habit , in why do people actually brake when all that is needed on most occasions is to lift off & allow natural slowing to increase the distance. This is another reason why traffic comes to a halt for no reason whatsoever.

What about people who break going up Hill then?

 

[HKF]

New vehicles have automas breaking sadly some are so sensitive a reflection or even a leaf can trigger it .
Be warned its on LGVs and it stops them very quickly

Wow, why would anyone want that as a feature? It sounds crazy.

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[PaulW2]

Wow, why would anyone want that as a feature? It sounds crazy.

I think a high percentage of new cars now come with AEB (automatic emergency braking). Essentially a ‘pre-collision’ feature. So I think we’re in time going to end up with it whether we want it or not.

Then there is the cruise control which incorporates distance control and which therefore also has access to the braking system which is becoming more prevalent.

 

[lunarman]

Wow, why would anyone want that as a feature? It sounds crazy.

Not sure anyone "wants" these new features. They are being introduced to enable vehicles to achieve high NCAP ratings.

 

[The Wino]

Wow, why would anyone want that as a feature? It sounds crazy.

In the case of the series of rear end collisions in the op post autonomous braking could well have avoided a lot of them. Driver aids don't have to be faultlessly perfect to reduce accidents just better than an average motorist I suspect a lot are overconfident in their own ability!

 

[Nanniemate]

The new vehicle may save a life in front of it
But 3 people die in the older vehicle travelling too fast and too close behind it

 

[The Wino]

The new vehicle may save a life in front of it
But 3 people die in the older vehicle travelling too fast and too close behind it

You can't remove stupidity from the equation! Maybe all vehicles ought to be required to have a spike in the middle of the steering wheel to focus the drivers attention on keeping a safe distance!

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[PaulW2]

In the case of the series of rear end collisions in the op post autonomous braking could well have avoided a lot of them. Driver aids don't have to be faultlessly perfect to reduce accidents just better than an average motorist I suspect a lot are overconfident in their own ability!

What is quite interesting about the quest for greater safety is the interplay with human psychology which is sometimes counterintuitive.

For instance where they reduced pedestrian casualties by reducing traffic markings in town centres, placing everyone on guard (in the Netherlands I think).

Or the research that shows that drivers give less space to cyclists who are wearing crash helmets.

Or the individual vs collective data. In countries that have a debate about firearm control, for instance. The data is clear that, with other things controlled for, fewer firearms equal fewer incidents. And that owners are more likely to be killed with their own firearms than use them effectively for self-defence. While that may be true at a national level most firearm owners think it doesn't apply to them.

Do I drive less carefully because I know I have ABS, and does this make me a bit less safe even though the ABS still makes me safer than I would be without?

Is wearing a seatbelt a tacit admission that I'm not a very good driver and that I may have an accident? If so, should I buckle the seat belt behind me like a Turkish taxi driver? Should I wear my moped crash helmet on my elbow like a Greek youngster?

 

[gus-lopez]

What about people who break going up Hill then?

Exactly! w t f is that all about?

But 3 people die in the older vehicle travelling too fast

& who could see past the braker that there was nothing happening for miles

You can't remove stupidity from the equation!

nothing to do with stupidity if for some unknown reason the half wit in front brakes for no reason at all or wants to perform an illegal maneouvre as I posted before

Maybe all vehicles ought to be required to have a spike in the middle of the steering wheel to focus the drivers attention on keeping a safe distance!

Agree & as I have always stated a policy of no assistance to those involved until the road is cleared

 

[gus-lopez]

Do I drive less carefully because I know I have ABS

It never even occurs to me that I have abs?

Is wearing a seatbelt a tacit admission that I'm not a very good

or that?

 

[scotzsue]

Wow, why would anyone want that as a feature? It sounds crazy.

john has adaptive cruise control on his VWTcross, I switch it off, except in a traffic jam as it does help you keep a safe distance, however on normal roads i think it is a bit late in braking, have always touched brakes before car thinks of doing it, and lane control is a pain when the white lines need re doing

 

[Puddleduck]

john has adaptive cruise control on his VWTcross, I switch it off, except in a traffic jam as it does help you keep a safe distance, however on normal roads i think it is a bit late in braking, have always touched brakes before car thinks of doing it, and lane control is a pain when the white lines need re doing

Yes, too many bells and whistles on a lot of vehicles.

When I was driving I had hand controls for acceleration and braking so my right hand was on the control lever and thumb on steering wheel. The left hand turned the wheel with the help of a steering (suicide) knob. The car wouldn't start unless both hands were on the wheel and when driving it constantly sent me a warning to put my hands on the wheel. I never did find out how to turn off that feature.

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[Jasz]

Excuse my ignorance but why would it do that? I've had many vehicles with cruise and not one of them had control of the brakes. Is braking part of the cruise control in new vehicles? Or is it the tech that avoids collisions that's kicked in?

As far as I can make out the car thought I was going up the slip road as it slowed down a little with a warning of a bend ahead. It then slowed down quicker with a warning of a roundabout ahead. Our previous Golf didn't have built in sat nav, therefore this was never an issue with that car.
I guess that the sat nav location just isn't accurate enough for this level of technology!
Edit. I forgot to say that I wasn't using the sat nav at the time, which may have made a difference as it didn't know where I was intending going (or maybe not!).