OHV and RV Visability

Visibility is an important aspect of using both RVs and OHVs.  It even has applications in tent camping to some extent. There are two different kinds of visibility you need to consider: 1) seeing: how well you can see from the operator's position in a motorhome, OHV, or tow vehicle and 2) being seen: how well your RV or OHV, or tent can be seen by other drivers/riders.  Hunters know the value of visability, whether they wear camouflage to hide from their quarry or bright orange to prevent other hunters from shooting them.  I prefer the bright orange.  I figure I'd rather scare away my quarry than get shot!

Seeing. The operator of an RV, tow vehicle, an OHV, or even the family car obviously needs good visibility to safely direct the movement of the vehicle. Most motorhomes, tow vehicles, and cars have pretty good forward visibility -- as long as your windshield is clean and not blocked or impaired by reflections or junk on the dashboard. Immediate lateral visibility is also pretty darn good, but the view anywhere behind the driver is often very restricted, especially in motorhomes and when pulling trailers. Good outside rear-view mirrors help a lot but a back-up camera is even more useful in negotiating your way into cramped campsites with large RVs with out taking out the landscaping and damaging your rig. Lacking a backup camera, having a person outside to direct you can prevent embarrassing and costly mistakes. A pair of inexpensive walkie-talkies help avert misunderstandings that can often come from unclear hand signals or attempts to shout directions, which will often incite the ire of nearby campers. It is critical to keep the windshield clear and free from fogging, ice, snow, and even reflections. There is a tendency for some people to use that big flat surface below the windshield of motorhomes and tow vehicles as a storage shelf. Leaving items lying there presents a couple of hazards that need to be avoided. In almost all cases they can reflect in the windshield and cause distractions or even distortions of what you see. Secondly, they can become unguided missiles in the event of an accident or sudden change of direction. At the minimum, objects flying off the dashboard can distract the driver and, depending on mass, velocity, and shape, can even cause serious injuries to occupants and damage to the unit. Keeping the windshield fog-free can be a challenge in cool, damp weather, especially on the large expanses of glass in many big motorhomes. The addition of fans at each top corner, like those used on trucks, can help -- a lot. There are also anti-fog preparations you can use to reduce the build up of fog on windows and windshields. Keep the outside clean too -- scrape away ice and snow completely before driving. Do not rely on the wipers to simply clear a hole for you to see through. The remaining blockage can completely hide even surprisingly large vehicles and obstacles that could pose significant problems.  I've seen lazy drivers scrape only a spot big enough to peek out and that is clearly a recipe for disaster!  If you are operating any kind of motor vehicle at night you need good headlights and tail lights so you can see where you are going and so other drivers can see you.

Visibility for OHV operators is usually a function of proper goggles and helmets, although a few OHVs today have windscreens which require the same care as RV or tow vehicle windshields to guarantee good visibility. A properly fitting helmet and clean goggles should give the OHV operator good visibility with one exception:  they are usually made of plastic instead of glass. Plastic windscreens need special care to prevent them from getting scratched.  Wiping them when they're dusty sill put micro-scratches in the plastic that soon turns it cloudy or even opaque.  Wash them with soap and water and dry them with a soft cloth.  If badly coated or scratched, try using a good plastic cleaner like Novus to restore clarity.  Dirty, scratched, cracked, cloudy, fogged, dusty, or muddy goggles seriously impact what you can see and affect your safety and that of everyone around you.   When on the trail on your OHV, take a minute to check and clean your goggles each time you stop along the route.  Try not to wipe them with a dry cloth as the dust will put microscratches in the lens that will quickly accumulate to render the lens opaque.  Use a little water from your drinking water supply or, in a pinch, a little spit will do.  Motocross and desert racers often use 'tear offs' on their goggles to maintain a clear view.  These are thin transparent sheets that cover most of the lens and can be ripped off and tossed aside easily when they get muddy or dirty.    Be sure to use appropriate lenses -- clear at night and in conditions of low light and shaded lenses in bright sunlight. A bad fitting helmet can also cause problems. One that is too large will not move correctly when you turn your head. It isn't going to be of much use if you end up staring at the inside of your helmet when you try to look left or right! A helmet that is too small will move with your head -- if you can get it on in the first place. But, if you're anything like me, a tight helmet will quickly give you a headache, which doesn't make it any easier to see straight! As always, your protective gear should be appropriate for the activity, should be clean and in good condition, should fit well and be worn properly. Regardless of the type of vehicle, the operator needs to be able to see where they're going and have good visibility to the sides and even rear of the vehicle.  Unlike vehicles licensed for on-road use, most OHVs, especially dirt bikes and ATVs, lack rear view mirrors.  I found out early in my dirt biking that rear view mirrors were of great value, especially when leading my kids on a ride.  You can buy clamp on mirrors at motorcycle shops but my favorites were old fashioned bicycle mirrors.  I cut the metal arm down from about 10" to 2" so the " round mirror was just above my hand grips and didn't pose a problem when going through vegetation.  These days most bicycle mirrors are mounted on a flexible plastic shaft that vibrates too much to be useful but you can still find solid shaft vintage bicycle mirrors on ebay.

Being seen. You would think being seen isn't problem for big RVs. Don't count on it! I have been in foggy situations where you could get within about 10' of an unlighted motorhome before it became visible through the mist -- and that might be too close to stop! The U.S. Department of Transportation has spent million of dollars studying the visibility of over-the-road trucks, resulting in recommendations for clearance lights and reflective markers.   Proper lighting, including headlights, tail lights and marker lights is essential for seeing and being seen on the highway.   Since it isn't practical to leave the clearance lights on for extended periods of time when you are camping, having good reflectors can make your vehicle more visible to approaching vehicles. The solution I like best is to add a strip of 3M reflective tape along the entire side of my RV. Done right, it will blend with the original decor and yet will make your RV show up brightly in approaching headlights.  For that I used a white tape about the same size an existing stripe on my RV.  The red and white striped reflective tape used on semi-trailers has been proven to be highly visible and is a good addition to OHV trailers.  I put it on the rear bumper and about a 1' strip near the front and rear on each side of my motorcycle trailer.  Studies sponsored by the US DOT found it to be THE BEST at making semi-trailers and over-the-road trucks visible at night.   It may not be very pretty, but it could prevent your RV or trailer from being smashed by a roving Jeep or ATV at night.   Here's where visibility may be of concern to tent campers. You want to make sure your tent isn't setup where it will be in the way of any errant vehicles.  During OHV outings, I've seen ignorant or thoughtless campers set up their tents on trails and even on dirt roads, directly in the path of other riders or vehicles. Sure, it was a nice flat spot with no vegetation, but definitely not a good idea, unless you want to get run over! Make sure you pick a spot that is not in or close to any right of way. At night you might add light sticks or reflectors to make your tent more visible so vehicles and even folks on foot so they don't trample your cloth domicile.  Reflective tape is an easy way to highlight your tent. A tent well lighted from the inside usually shows up pretty well at night. Making your tent visible is a second-level precaution.  Your first defense should be to set up your tent where it will be out of the way of any roads or trails.  You will see pennants flying on staffs on the back of many ATVs, dune buggies, and side-by-sides. You can even buy battery powered strobe lights to put on the top of the staffs.  These pennants and lights allow approaching riders to detect your presence and movement (speed and direction) when you and your vehicle may be partially or completely hidden behind a rise, rocks, other vehicles, or vegetation. Pennants are typically not practical nor normally used on dirt bikes. Your best bet of being seen on your dirt bike is to wear bright, even reflective, clothing and to make sure your lights (if you have them) are working. Even during daylight hours, lights make your vehicle more visible. Be careful and watch where YOU are going so you don't needlessly put yourself and your vehicle in the path of another rider. This is especially important when riding criss-crossing desert or forest trails. On desert trails stand up when approaching intersecting trails to make it easier to see and be seen. When riding forest trails, look ahead for intersecting trails and slow down until you can verify there is no traffic on the intersecting route. Also, for all OHV activities, be aware of your environment and avoid putting yourself and your vehicle in obscure places. Lying in wait to surprise your friends could easily backfire if another rider slams into you in your hiding place! And your surprise might cause your friends to lose control and crash, perhaps even into you!

Non-motorized activities. For safety you will want to use good practices to see and be seen in non-motorized activities, such as hiking and hunting. Some hunting activities may require you to blend into the environment, but to avoid being shot by some other hunter, it is a good idea to make yourself very visible. Bright orange clothing is frequently the choice of hunters, but if you are hunting in an area where bright orange fall foliage is common, you may need to choose another color. Unless you are hiking during hunting season (something I highly discourage!), being seen is probably more of a factor if you become lost and rescuers need to find you. Once again, bright colored clothing is helpful although you will want to avoid flowered prints that might attract unwanted insects. Carry a bright colored neckerchief or flag you can display as an emergency signal if necessary. An orange trash bag is a useful tool for many survival activities, including signalling as well as shelter. It can be folded into a small form, weighs little and isn't very expensive.  Making yourself visible around camp at night will avoid accidents. Carry a flashlight so you can both see where you're going and be seen by other folks. Wear a jacket or vest with reflective stripes if you have one when moving about camp in the dark.   There are clamp on reflective stripes if your jacket doesn't have any reflectivity.  You can probably find them at bicycle shops.  I think I came across mine at Dollar Tree!  You may need a certain amount of privacy for trips to the bushes, but make sure you avoid trails and roads where vehicle traffic might put you in danger.

See and be seen!