Driving visibility issues - looking for solutions

[Backpacker]

I have owned my new Bounder for 10 days and the most unnerving driving issue I have is glare and window reflections impeding visibility as follows:

 

I was backing my 34' Fleetwood Bounder into a driveway in a tree covered residential neighborhood yesterday afternoon and, with the passenger side window reflecting the image of a car parked across the street on the driver side and a high contrast of light and dark shadows from the afternoon sun and tree cover, it was impossible to see my backward progress into the driveway through either my passenger side mirror or camera. I had to exit the vehicle twice to make sure I was properly positioned. Fortunately, this was a residential neighborhood and I did not have traffic waiting on me, the driver, to stop the RV, exit the door to observe my progress, jump back in, and continue backing up, twice.

 

Earlier that afternoon I was driving on a freeway with clear skies and the volume of light coming through the front windshield made it very difficult to see my speedometer. In addition, the contrast between bright sunlight on the road and the shadow of my RV made the side mirror cameras so useless that I could only rely the side mirrors.

 

I'm not complaining; just looking for solutions. I love my RV and plan on full time travel in the US and Canadian west.

 

Is there a window application I can apply to the inside of the passenger window so that reflections off of it do not impede my view of the passenger side mirror?

Is there something I can do to reduce the amount of light flowing through the windshield so that I can see my speedometer without a flashlight?

 

Thanks for any advice to a newbie.

 

[Barbaraok]

Polarized sunglasses

[kb0zke]

Also experience and a helper with a radio. If you are a solo RV'er, then you can't have your navigator get out and spot for you. If you travel with someone else, though, that person should be outside with a two-way radio guiding you into the spot. That way someone is watching for branches overhead, rocks in the corners, potholes, and all manner of other potential problems.

 

As for the glare, the sunglasses will help. Experience will also help. You may want to try driving on cloudy days so that you can get used to the coach without the added problem of the glare.

[sandsys]

I would have rolled down that passenger side window when backing into that driveway. That's a temporary fix but I think it would have helped in that case.

 

BTW, professional truck drivers are taught GOAL. Get Out And Look. So your trips back to see were professional behavior. Never apologize for being safe.

 

Linda Sand

[Backpacker]

Thank you all for the advice.

[WeBeFulltimers]

I would have rolled down that passenger side window when backing into that driveway. That's a temporary fix but I think it would have helped in that case.

 

BTW, professional truck drivers are taught GOAL. Get Out And Look. So your trips back to see were professional behavior. Never apologize for being safe.

 

Linda Sand

As a retired professional trucker I TOTALLY AGREE with Linda's opinion. No one will think less of your ability just because you prefer to be safe and sure of your moves!

[Kirk W]

Glare can be a problem and hazard with any vehicle but motorhomes tend to be more prone to that due to the very large windshields and broad expanses of glass you have. Just as those provide better vision under good conditions, they also provide more room for sun and glare under less than ideal conditions. I learned to never keep anything reflective on the dash or near the driver's area. We also had tinted windows and the upper part of the windshield was tinted which helps. Being retired, we also discovered that when light conditions were bad we could just find a place to stop and take a brake until the sun position shifted as it usually doesn't take too long.

BTW, professional truck drivers are taught GOAL. Get Out And Look. So your trips back to see were professional behavior. Never apologize for being safe.

In addition to this, if you have one available, use a ground guide. Develop a language and signal pattern that you both understand and always use it in exactly the same way. Refer to the RV as driver's side and passenger side, never left & right. When on the highway, ask your passenger to help watch when light conditions are bad. It is not unprofessional to use an assistant.

[The Quiet Assassin]

My Safari Trek came with a rear view camera system. I found this to be a valuable additional resource as to what was going on around the RV and essential when reversing.

 

Mind you when in doubt GOAL applies.

[sandsys]

My rear view camera was not helpful. It made things look further away than they really were. When that rig was till new to me I nearly backed into a neighboring rig in one campground and would have had I not used GOAL.

 

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

Rear view camera systems are very helpful tools but they do require some learning first for them to be at their best. By the photographic process they do distort distance judgement but most have some sort of indication on the screen, but you must learn to use them.

[Ray,IN]

Who cares what others may think, GOAL is the right answer to backing. If you don't have a ground guide, GOAL, if you do have a ground guide and loose sight of them GOAL.

I second the advice of Barb, polarized sunglasses. I have a pair of Blublocker sunglasses that work well for reducing glare too.

[finally03gt]

My rear view camera was not helpful. It made things look further away than they really were. When that rig was till new to me I nearly backed into a neighboring rig in one campground and would have had I not used GOAL.

 

Linda Sand

Maybe my job experience will come in handy when I get to this point. I've spent the last 9 years operating remote controlled submarines from a series of cameras. I can actually "feel" the vehicle now. I would suspect that practice with the camera, combined with GOAL will help correlate camera view to real view, and make that a more useful tool.

[Barbaraok]

I can see our extended drop hitch in our review view camera - - that really helps me as I'm getting closer to the back of the site. Some people use small orange cones on the drivers side to indicate where they need to be when done for slides/bay doors to be able to open.

 

Barb