Article- Safety at Overnight Roadside Stops

One reader asks

" Is it really safe to stop overnight at roadside stops? I would imagine if hoons where going to harass anyone, it wouldn't matter if there were one or more RV's parked."

Considering there are thousands of motorhomers and caravaners out there staying in roadside stops and other out of the way places every night it could be considered safe. One can only assume there have been incidences where motorhomers have felt unsafe but these are very few and far between and by following a few simple tips it can make your stay more comfortable.

From my own experiences we have always stayed in roadside rest areas and other out of the way places and never had any problems. We do camp by ourselves but have met other travellers who feel safer with other vehicles around. We have pulled up at a rest area and had someone ask if we are staying the night. When we confirmed we were planning to stay they felt happy and decided they were also happy to stay.

 

An out of the way free camp we found 12km off the highway in outback Queensland

 
If you do find an empty rest area (this is becoming rarer as more and more people look for the cheaper alternatives) you will often find many will follow along and join you. Usually by sundown there will be a few parked with you. This is a great opportunity to meet people and find out the best places to go and the best free camps that the other travellers have just been to. This is the best source of up to date information.

Some simple tips that we use for making our stay safer (or leaving in a hurry if an incident occurs) are
" Not parking near the town pub on a Friday or Saturday night especially on a big sporting day (although some of the smaller town pubs offer great overnight parking for free or a very small fee. Some even with power - see the article above)
" Not parking near the local caravan park - caravan park owners have been known to visit rest areas late at night
" Always parking where we can drive straight out
" Always knowing where our ignition keys are - so we can start the engine at a moments notice
" Never leaving our belongings out (tables, chairs awnings etc) at an overnight roadside rest area. They can attract unwanted visitors and you may have to leave them behind if you leave in a hurry.


If you are still worried as a newcomer to motorhoming don't be the first to stop - wait till you come across a rest area where there are already others parked. Go out and meet them. You will then feel more at ease.

Don't let the fear of hoons or undesirables stop you from enjoying one of the great parts of the motorhoming lifestyle - that is being free to roam and stop where you like. Meeting the desirables, that is other travellers, far outweighs the undesirable
© 2005 Gail Bennett (motorhominglifestyle.com). If you would like to reproduce this article on your website please contact gail@motorhominglifestyle.com