Leaving Parking Lights on at Rest Stops?

[Kevin D Pem]

I guess I am the rare one here. I love to save money my saving every dollar I could is the reason I can afford this life style now. I stay in all of the free place while in rut. I am a good shot and anyone that tries ant thing will have 3 or 4 wholes in chest very fast. I don't use parking lights.

This tread has gone somewhere on the dark side. However it brought me back a few years while I was in the Sea of Cortez. In the US I used anchor lights anytime I was at anchor. In the Sea I learned quickly that an anchor light was a beacon for thieves, and quit using them like most cruisers did, as no anchor light is required in an anchorage.

 

[Neal]

I don't think this thread has gone to a dark side or is bad. We have to keep open minds and learn from the experiences of others as there is always something for all of us to learn. Many here have been doing this far longer than I and I learn everyday from others that offer their experiences and opinions. Traveling in a RV is no different than traveling in an airplane, you have to understand the ways of getting from point A to B safely. Granted the OP asked a question but it raised discussion points we can all learn from as the safety of each one of us is important as well as learning how to travel efficiently and affordably for those that choose to do so. I prefer to avoid conflict and therefore take paths of least resistance. So again, never hesitate to offer any opinions as something you offer may help someone else.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I don't think this thread has gone to a dark side or is bad. We have to keep open minds and learn from the experiences of others as there is always something for all of us to learn. Many here have been doing this far longer than I and I learn everyday from others that offer their experiences and opinions. Traveling in a RV is no different than traveling in an airplane, you have to understand the ways of getting from point A to B safely. Granted the OP asked a question but it raised discussion points we can all learn from as the safety of each one of us is important as well as learning how to travel efficiently and affordably for those that choose to do so. I prefer to avoid conflict and therefore take paths of least resistance. So again, never hesitate to offer any opinions as something you offer may help someone else.

I was talking about 3 or 4 holes, hope you don't think of this as good advice. I have my shot gun and would have it ready should I fear for my life, but think I would give the intruder the chance to flee.

 

[Neal]

Oh haha. We are all over the place in this thread. It's okay, I prefer again that anyone that wants to say something please do and never feel you have to refrain. I know @MapNerd is really jealous about the whole pineapple thing. In fact he just left Rocket Science with the family getting pineapple ice cream cones, I heard.

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[CaptainGizmo]

I don't think this thread has gone to a dark side or is bad. We have to keep open minds and learn from the experiences of others as there is always something for all of us to learn. Many here have been doing this far longer than I and I learn everyday from others that offer their experiences and opinions. Traveling in a RV is no different than traveling in an airplane, you have to understand the ways of getting from point A to B safely. Granted the OP asked a question but it raised discussion points we can all learn from as the safety of each one of us is important as well as learning how to travel efficiently and affordably for those that choose to do so. I prefer to avoid conflict and therefore take paths of least resistance. So again, never hesitate to offer any opinions as something you offer may help someone else.

I will respectfully offer a counterpoint, by giving the following example:

An "unbeliever" gets the guts to ask a very important biblical question in a new church he's visiting. Instead of answering his question, the congregation...in a very unintentional yet almost demented manner...start a huge argument about politics, in which they're suddenly talking about defunding the police!

Is that discussion a good one? Sure. Appropriate for church, probably not. But the real crime, is that the original question was never addressed, and that man may never return, let alone get his important question answered.

So, my point? I see, all too often, SOOO many REALLY GOOD things, ideas, and suggestions get completely buried in these forums for one simple reason, with an equally simple fix: WHY NOT START A NEW THREAD on THAT NEW TOPIC?

Think of how much easier it would be for EVERY person to FIND a topic that actually addresses the TITLE of that topic!!! Gosh, there'd hardly be a need for a "Search this forum" function, right?


Ah yes...in my perfect little world.

So, will leaving @MapNerd 's marker lights on all night drain his batteries? Maybe we'll find out when Newmar hooks up an Ammeter and does a load check. They did for me, and they will for John!

 

[AbdRahim]

I forgot, I travel mostly early morning and quit around 2-3 pm, so I don't use light, but If I did it would be no problem because I run the generator anyway for the AC.

I also try to hit the truckstop or rest area by 4:30, in order to get a good spot. I try to avoid truk spots where possible, often it cannot be avoided. I run the generator all night for the A/C, so parking lights are not a problem. I haven,t left them on yet, but I? have been tempted.

The only truly RV friendly truck stops I have found where I could park without taking a truck spot is Flying J's. Lately, even here the RV spaces are often taken by bobtails .

 

[MapNerd]

I also try to hit the truckstop or rest area by 4:30, in order to get a good spot. I try to avoid truk spots where possible, often it cannot be avoided. I run the generator all night for the A/C, so parking lights are not a problem. I haven,t left them on yet, but I? have been tempted.

The only truly RV friendly truck stops I have found where I could park without taking a truck spot is Flying J's. Lately, even here the RV spaces are often taken by bobtails .

I've had good luck I guess. We've only had to park with trucks twice. Every other time, there was a separate area for buses or RVs. One in NC was particularly RV friendly with the parking spots being on both sides, parallel to the road, angled at about 15-degrees with room to put out your slide on the non-road side. There was a park and a dog area, picnic tables, and a welcome center. It was well lit and there were emergency call buttons throughout and they had overnight security. All they needed was hookups!

 

[Chuggs]

The AGS trigger for battery voltage only monitors the House Bank. Your House has plenty of battery to not trigger a start...so the parking lights would draw from the chassis without assistance.

I don’t like ”crossing the beams”...but adding a dash switch that —- thru a diode —- powers the Anchor Lights...from the house bank would be an easy solution. The parking/Anchor lights...if LED won’t have a significant drain on the House bank...but if it did, the AGS can be setup to start to remedy that.

 

[Chuggs]

This might help if you have a Freightliner Chassis...

 

[FL-JOE]

On occasion, we find ourselves needing to make a longer trip, one that requires a day or day and a half of driving. Often, we’ll find a nicer rest stop and pull in there early, usually trying to snag a spot next to a median or area that allows us to put out the FWS without taking any risks. Anyway, I often find myself desiring to leave my parking lights on overnight just forthe added security of knowing that we can be seen, but I’m always scared to for fear of draining the batteries overnight.

Does anyone leave their parking lights on over night when parked at a rest stop?

John, the few times we have needed to camp at a Walmart, Cabela's, or similar location, I don't utilize my parking lights. I had the LEDs installed under the coach so I just keep those on. I usually have them set on blue but can switch them to a brighter red to draw more attention. However if needed I suspect my (our) huge battery bank would handle leaving the parking lights on for 7 or 8 hours.

As far as the other "extended" question that has been discussed reference camping overnight in rest areas and/or Walmarts......

I have a couple buddies that travel together and they will use rest areas for overnighting. They will check a couple and try to find one where they can park side-by-side. They will keep their coaches a little closer together thus allowing more room on either side of them. So far they have never been told to leave or have they had any other issues. With that being said I still would not feel comfortable using a rest area for an overnight stay simply because of the fear of having a tired trucker dinging my coach.

As far as using Walmarts and other commercial establishments which allow RV overnight parking, it is a personal decision that everyone has to make.

 

[Backcountry]

OP.

When parked overnight in a rest stop area you don’t need to have your parking lights on, semi trucks are able to see you. (Unless fog or dense snow times). Plus truck drivers overwhelmingly know their equipment and are very unlikely to run into you, when pulling in or leaving.

The reason why trucks leave their running lights on is because they leave their engines on which allows them to not worry about battery drain, to be able to use their living quarters with ease, and the dashboard lights are dimmer when parking lights are on. They tend to not like blaring lights on at night in the cab while they are trying to sleep.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

Here are some comments from truckers regarding lights... it is dated but topic is same

running lights on while you sleep - Trucker Forum - Trucking & Driving Forums - Class A Drivers

Anything and Everything - running lights on while you sleep - What is the purpose of leaving your clearance lights/running lights on while you sleep? I pull into rest areas and see guys running lights on, but they are in the bunk. I've been told it calls the "lot lizards" over :shock: ...and not...

www.classadrivers.com

lights or no lights

ive pondered over this for a little while, but never posted this. when you park in a truck stop/rest area... do you leave your parking lighs on or...

www.thetruckersreport.com

 

[AbdRahim]

OP.

When parked overnight in a rest stop area you don’t need to have your parking lights on, semi trucks are able to see you. (Unless fog or dense snow times). Plus truck drivers overwhelmingly know their equipment and are very unlikely to run into you, when pulling in or leaving.

The reason why trucks leave their running lights on is because they leave their engines on which allows them to not worry about battery drain, to be able to use their living quarters with ease, and the dashboard lights are dimmer when parking lights are on. They tend to not like blaring lights on at night in the cab while they are trying to sleep.

You haven’t been around some of today’s truckers. Some trucks on end spots have lost their front end ftprom someone who misjudged the turn.

I almost got hit in broad daylight by a trucker attempting to park next to me. Fortunately I was in the driver seat and hit the horn. Scary to think what might have happened had he come while I was inside. Many are good but there are some scary ones on the road today.

 

[J&JD]

You haven’t been around some of today’s truckers. Some trucks on end spots have lost their front end ftprom someone who misjudged the turn.

I almost got hit in broad daylight by a trucker attempting to park next to me. Fortunately I was in the driver seat and hit the horn. Scary to think what might have happened had he come while I was inside. Many are good but there are some scary ones on the road today.

Totally agree! Lots of newer inexperienced drivers out there today. Park as far from back in parking and exits as possible.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

Just a few examples.