As summer begins, and a growing number of families plan their vacation trips driving recreational vehicles, GMAC Insurance issued its top five claims and safety tips to vacationers taking up recreational vehicles.

GMAC said that the growth in recreational vehicle (RV) use is best illustrated by figures put out by RVIA.org, which said sales are at a 27-year high and RV travel is expected to outpace traditional travel by 34 percent.

At the top of GMAC's RV claims list is refrigerator fires caused by leaky propane tanks. The company said it receives at least 400 claims per year from this risk. A rig can burn up in as little as six minutes, the company said, from this.

The carrier advises customers that they should have their propane tank lines and connections checked by a certified RV dealer each year.

Rounding out the top five were hitting gas station overhangs and bridges by forgetting an RV's height; failure to retract steps and awnings before departure; tire blowouts; and animal infestation from inactivity during winter.

Among some of the recommendations: create reminders and checklists, keep tires clean and properly inflated, and start the RV every week to keep the critters away.

More information regarding RV insurance claims and a pre-driving safety checklist is available at the GMAC Web site at www.rvinsurance.com.

Special Reports /

GMAC Urges Caution As RV Sales Rise In The U.S.

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