I was only able to attend the second half of this pre-enrolled, fee class, and therefore was unable to get a copy of the Safe Driving handbook which was passed out to the regular enrollees. I noticed that, while I was taking copius notes, those with the handbook were merely “following along” and therefore deduced that most of what the instructor was saying was already printed out. Many of his comments were self evident, and as applicable to automobile driving as coach driving. For those who took all 6 hours of the class, there was an insurance discount given (possibly from RV Alliance America Insurance company). While no substitute for an actual driving class, the 45 people who took this class did get some very useful information. Some of his pertinent coach comments included:
Hand positions on the steering wheel. Without an air-bag, the 10-2 hand position is the most maneuverable. With an airbag, keep your hands low, at 8 & 4 o’clock. If the air bag should deploy, it will do so with such force that it will throw your hands and arms back into your face if they are resting high on the wheel. At the 8 & 4 position, your hands will be tossed back at your sides. When you turn the wheel, use a “push-pull method, ie. one hand pulls, the other pushes. Do not use the “flat palm” method. Have your seat at least 12 inches from the steering wheel, again to minimize air bag danger.
2 lane roads. Keep a consistent speed. Pull over to let faster traffic pass whenever possible. When you are passing a slower vehicle, back off enough so that, when traffic permits, you can accelerate before pulling out into the passing lane.
4 lane roads. Trucks are often restricted to the two right lanes. If you decide to drive in the middle lane, be aware that you are preventing any 18 wheeler from passing you. Again, be considerate, and use the far right hand lane if you are traveling slowly.
Each state has a different category for “truck”. If you are towing a dinghy, you will often be considered a truck, and must abide by the truck posted speed limit.
Be aware of your surroundings. Look ahead, down the road to see where you will be in 15 to 20 seconds. This is to sense potential problems. When turning, remember that you will need more head and tail room than a car does. Your rear tires track inside your front ones. Use your mirrors to look behind every 8 to10 seconds. Your convex mirror should take care of the “blind areas along the sides of the coach, but be aware that small cars, bikes, etc. can creep up beside you.
Braking. ABS only works in panic stops. If you hit the brakes, and then let up, the ABS will be neutralized for around 15 additional seconds -- too slowly to make any difference in an emergency.
Mountain driving. You cannot accelerate beyond the engine capacity. Therefore, do not try to accelerate up steep inclines, but gear down for a smoother ride. When you descend, use a gear one or two lower than the one you came up in. Below 1600 rpm, the jake brake will be of no help. Let the engine rpm rise to around 2400 then back off to 2000. When it gets back up to 2400, repeat the process.
This was a very general overview which covered a lot of information. While the seminar was well presented, it is absolutely no substitute for the hands on experience of actual driving. Even the instructor said, “know your own coach” and “use your own driving techniques”. These cannot be learned unless you have driven your own coach in various driving situations.