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Recreational Vehicle Accidents

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In North America the term recreational vehicle and its derived acronym, RV, are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of equipment dually used as both a vehicle and temporary travel home. In other parts of the world, particularly Australia, the term may be used to refer to a sport utility vehicle, also known as an SUV. This article discusses the North American usage.

While RVs are intended for brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, some people, especially retirees, live in their units and are known as fulltimers. RVs can be rented in major U.S. and Canadian cities.

There are different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs:

•  A truck camperTruck Camper - unit is affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck.
• Folding Camping Trailer - also known as a pop-up trailer; a light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage. Suitable for towing by many vehicles.
• Travel Trailer - heavier unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by most larger vehicles by means of a bumper or frame hitch
• Hybrid Trailer - a blend between a travel trailer and a folding (tent) trailer. With rigid sides and pull-out tent sections (usually beds)
• Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer - designed to be towed by a pickup truck equipped with a special hitch in the truck bed
• Toy Hauler Trailer - designed as either 5th wheels or travel trailers, it is designed to be part living space, and part garage for storing things such as motorcycles and ATV's.
  Park Model - designed for occasional relocation and will require a special tow vehicle and a highway movement permit
• Motorhome ("Winnebago", a product of Winnebago Industries that dominated the market for many years, was long a synonym for a motorhome, but this usage has faded in recent years.)
  Class A Motorcoach - constructed on either a commercial truck chassis, a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, or a commercial bus chassis. Sizes run from 26 to 45 feet.
  Class B Campervan - built using a conventional van, to which either a raised roof has been added or had the back replaced by a low-profile body (compared to a Class C). Sizes run from 19 feet to 24 feet.
• Class C Motorhome - built on an truck chassis with an attached cab section, which is usually van based, but may also be pickup truck based or even large truck(freightliner) based. Size can vary from 17 feet to 34 feet.
• Toterhome, a motor home built around a semi truck chassis such as a freightliner. This type of motor home allows you to pull large and heavy trailers while having all the conveniences of a large motor home

A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and internet access, slide-out sections, and awnings; many RVs can cost (new) from less then $10,000 to $100,000 with some costing over $1 million. These high end RVs typically need to be financed by banks or specialized lenders.

Many RVers stay at RV parks, most of which feature electrical, water and sewer service (full hookups), as well as cable television and wireless Internet. Amenties often include swimming pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as horseback riding. While others prefer staying at locations in rural, remote areas, called Boondocking and still others at public campgrounds with minimal facilities.

Also many RVers stay at city parks, county parks, state parks, and national parks. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service United States Forest Service also offers camping, often at no cost to the camper (http://www.fs.fed.us/).

Advantages of RVs include not having to move ones things in and out of motel rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, sleeping in a bed one is comfortable with and the fact that preparing food saves money compared to eating in restaurants. At the same time, an RV provides more organized living space and better protection from the weather than a tent. Children also tend to like RVs.

Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is available at a few high-end resorts), and larger RV models can be hard for the novice to drive or tow.

Some people also live in RVs because they lack funds for more conventional housing.

Similarly, RVs — specifically, trailers which strongly resemble travel trailers, but usually with fewer amenities — have been used to temporarily house victims of natural disasters. A notable example is Hurricane Katrina; the federal disaster relief agency FEMA has ordered large numbers of such trailers to house victims of the storm in Louisiana and Mississippi.