Driving an RV can make for an exciting summer adventure, and there are plenty of scenic drives worth taking across the country. While RV safety is a mixture of traveling safety and vehicle safety, there are a lot of smaller aspects that many drivers and passengers get about. If you’re looking to head out on the ultimate summer road trip, keep these things in mind to ensure you’re RV is prepared so that you can have a safe and stress-free drive.

Stay on top of RV maintainence — even the small stuff

RV maintenance isn’t dissimilar to regular vehicle maintenance, but there are also a few more steps. Owning an RV sits somewhere between owning a vehicle and owning a home — you have to maintain the engine and mechanical components as well as the interior components of the living space. In order for all of these things to operate in harmony, they must be in good, running condition. Any time you set out on a trip, checking the basic, easily overlooked parts of maintenance such as windshield wiper fluid, tire tread wear, and tire pressure is critical to ensuring that your RV stays on the road when you need it to. Consumer Reports also suggests investing in RV tire pressure monitors if yours didn’t come equipped with them from the factory.

Get a backup camera, and maybe even a dash camera

While some new RVs may have a backup camera, older RVs may not. The price of a backup camera doesn’t make it worth it to upgrade to a new RV — well unless you already wanted to — but it isn’t impossible to add a backup camera to your older RV. Having a backup camera may mean having to upgrade your car’s radio to a touchscreen infotainment system, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, either, and you can expect to spend less than $1,000 even if you are having it all professionally installed. If you don’t want to replace your infotainment system, you can also opt to upgrade to a new rearview mirror with a screen, which offers the ability to display the feed from a backup camera, and many also have a dash camera mounted to the front for extra security and protection.

Balance the weight throughout the RV

Unbalanced vehicles can be difficult to operate, and add the sheer size, length, and weight of an RV itself, and having a bad balance of weight can be disastrous. Keeping the weight balanced evenly will improve your handling, especially around corners, and it will also help to reduce the wear on your tires. If you are towing another vehicle or recreational vehicle behind, it is important to keep this weight factor in mind and to be careful that you don’t exceed the weight capacity. Remember, even smaller, seemingly light-weight objects add up to the total weight. Just like towing over your vehicle’s towing capacity can prove disastrous, driving an RV over its weight capacity can too.