Today’s driving skills segment is on reference points. When you’re driving a large RV, it can be difficult to know if you’re staying centered in your lane, especially on narrow roads. Understanding how to set and use reference points can solve this problem. Let’s see how it’s done.

A problem some people have when driving a motorhome is maintaining a straight course. In a car or truck, you have a hood in front of you to use as a sight, but in a motorhome, you have very little in front of you to assist in staying on a straight course. The best way to solve this is to establish reference points.

While you are at the parking lot working on other driving skills, park the motorhome with the driver’s side on a long line, and see where that line intersects the bottom of the windshield. If there is no specific reference point, like part of the windshield wiper blade, mark the spot with a piece of tape or some other type of marker. Now move the coach, putting the line on the passenger side, and mark the windshield in the same manner. This will give you your limits.

These marks will give your subconscious some help staying centered in the lane and maintaining a straight course. These reference points will work fine when driving along straight or gently curving roads. Remember that reference points will be different for each driver, so if you switch drivers, each of you will have your own set of reference points. Now, you can set your reference points and take the worry out of keeping your RV centered in your driving lane. This RV driving skills tip is from our, “Drive Your Motorhome Like a Pro” video.

Happy camping from Mark Polk of RV Education 101