So you wanna take a road trip and you have an RV? What a great way to travel and see new things, but living in a giant moving brick may be a little tricky.
Where can someone nap? Do you have to wear a seatbelt even though there’s a giant comfy bed and it seems like a good opportunity? Napping in a car during road trips is generally done(cramped in a backseat with everyone’s junk), but how does that translate to a RV.
There’s a lot of circumstances that surround this question. Who is driving? How old are you? What states are you driving through?
These are all legalities that must be addressed before even considering if you can take a nap in a moving motorhome. Once those have been addressed then it will come down to safety. Because sometimes could doesn’t mean you should.
Who is driving?
This seems like a pretty straightforward response. If you are driving, then you should NOT be sleeping. If you are getting tired please trade out with a friend or stop somewhere and take a snooze.
Driving while drowsy is driving impaired and shouldn’t be gambled with. There is a limitation for who can legally drive the RV so you can hopefully get a legal nap
. Generally, you have to be 21 years old or older to drive. Some states or rental companies may even require the driver to be 25. So, if you are the driver and you are tired then hand it off to someone how can legally drive. If that’s not an option, then park it
How old are you?
You may feel like I just answered this, but we didn’t. Some states have rules about being an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle.
If you’re upfront you must wear a seatbelt. If you’re in the backseat, well the rules vary depending on the state and age.
This is something you will want to dig into a little more because 22 states do require all occupants in the RV to be buckled up while it is in motion and 26 states have RV seatbelt requirements based on a child’s age and size. So, in this case you can nap in a moving RV but you will want to be buckled up
What states are you driving through?
Before embarking on your vacation or trip, I’m sure you will have some sort of plan on how to get there. With smartphones we don’t really have to “map” out our trip, but you should be mindful of what states you are travelling through and look up the laws and regulations for each one. While napping alone may not be illegal alone, unbuckling your seatbelt to nap could be.
Should you nap in moving vehicle rv?
The answer to that really depends on you. While it may not be outright illegal to do, there are some other variables to consider.
First you’ll want to make sure it is legal to nap unrestrained in a moving RV. If it is legal, is it safe or worth it? I understand travelling can be absolutely exhausting and it may be super tempting to go to bed and let someone else handle the navigation.
However, is that the safest place to be? Imagine they’re heading down the interstate, cruising at a safe 65 mph, but traffic ahead suddenly stops, causing them to abruptly brake. You are thrown from the bed, mid-nap, into the living area or further.
So it is important to consider that while it may not be illegal, it could still be extremely dangerous. If there is a way to nap while buckled in, I would recommend going that route.
The bed may be very tempting, but by napping with your seatbelt on, it eliminates a lot of danger and fear. You won’t have to worry about getting pulled over and bring issued a ticket.
You won’t be thrown from a bed because the RV came to an abrupt stop while going 65mph. So in short, can you nap in a moving RV? Absolutely. Should you do it while wearing a seatbelt even though the bed is super tempting? Absolutely.
