Carbon Monoxide Road Safety Tips

Creating a safe environment when travelling in your RV is a must for you and your family. There are many things to take into account when cruising across the country in your RV, but one of the biggest occurrences many fail to take into consideration when it comes to safety is carbon monoxide. Odorless, colorless and invisible, carbon monoxide is a gas that is emitted when any type of fuel is burned, and if its main source ie: a gas heater, engine or generator is not vented properly, it can be deadly to everyone in its vicinity, resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning. To make sure you remain safe next time you’re on the road in your RV, we’ve come up with a few carbon monoxide safety tips you should implement.

First things first – if you don’t already have a carbon monoxide detector in your RV, you need to get one. You should test the detector before every trip and change out its batteries regularly to ensure it’s always up to code. Once you have that set, you should then pay close attention to the way you handle all items that burn fuel to make sure all proper precautions are being taken. For RV-goers who use generators, it’s important that the generator exhaust system is inspected every time before it’s used, and if you use a portable one, you should always make sure the exhaust is going in the opposite direction of the campground. In addition to this, you should keep all windows and roof vents closed when around other vehicles and generator exhaust.

Items such as gas powered heaters should also be handled with care by following the product directions and being aware of the safety cautions. When using range burners to cook, it’s even important to leave a window open to provide optimum ventilation. However, cooking is the only time you should use range burners – using them to heat the RV is out of the question and trying this with an oven is just as dangerous.

If you do encounter carbon monoxide in an unsafe environment and experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention:

• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Muscular Twitching
• Intense headache
• Throbbing in the temples
• Weakness and sleepiness
• Inability to think coherently

By being knowledgeable about carbon monoxide poisoning and following the safety tips laid out in this article, you’ll be safe and secure on your next RV adventure. Enjoy your travels!