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RV Podcast - Stories From The Road

The Truth About Crime and RV Living: Separating Fear from Facts

RV Podcast - Stories From The Road

Mike Wendland

Leisure, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Automotive, Places & Travel

4.5704 Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to Episode 549 of the RV Podcast.  We've all seen the headlines and watched the dramatic YouTube videos warning about crime and danger in the RV lifestyle, but how much of this is actually based in reality?  After receiving a deeply concerning email from a couple whose travel dreams were nearly crushed by sensationalized fear-mongering, we decided it was time to have an honest conversation about safety on the road.  Today we're diving into the real statistics, separating the legitimate concerns from the manufactured panic that's keeping good people from living their dreams.  Whether you're already on the road or still planning your escape, this episode will give you the facts you need to travel confidently and safely. We’ll get into it in just a bit. You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below. If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below. RV NEWS OF THE WEEK ​New Florida KOA Shuttered by State’s Highway Plan​ Florida's KOA Holiday Campground in Panama City Beach is closing just over a year after opening because Florida plans to expand the nearby highway. The state purchased the KOA land through its power of eminent domain for the continuation of the U.S. Highway 98 expansion project, leaving the devastated KOA owners unsure of what is next. ​California Governor Vows Legal War as Senate Moves to Axe Controversial Emissions Waivers​ The RV Industry is carefully watching what happens to a bill that Senate Republicans just passed, and is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump, to revoke three vehicle emissions waivers created by California that aim to prohibit the sale of new gas powered vehicles by 2035, reduce tailpipe emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as limit smog pollution from trucks by creating stricter emissions standards. (The later rules would affect motor home sales in California and all states that follow California's waiver.) California's Governor has vowed to sue to keep the emissions in place, so the issue is far from over. ​Nature’s Finest! USA Today Reveals the 10 Best State Parks in America​ Everyone who loves a spectacular state park will want to check out USA Today's 10 Best State Parks! First place was New York's Letchworth State Park, second was Florida's Blue Spring State Park, third was Minnesota's Gooseberry Falls State Park, and fourth was one of our favorites, Michigan's Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park​. ​Utahraptor State Park Is Now Open for Adventure!​ Speaking of state parks, Utah's much-anticipated Utahraptor State Park is now officially open! The park has 67 campsites and is located 15 miles northwest of Moab National Park. RV CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK This week we're talking about crime and RV life because of a really troubling email we got from a couple.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello, everybody. Welcome to episode 549 of the RV podcast. I'm Mike Wendland and Jennifer, my lifelong

0:07.1

traveling companion and my bride, is not with us this week. She is a bit under the weather.

0:12.9

If you remember last week, I had a cold. My voice still isn't back to normal, but it was really bad.

0:18.7

I gave her the same cold, and she's now suffering with

0:22.6

near laryngitis, so we gave her the week off this week, that hopefully we'll both have

0:28.5

her voices back next week. This week, we are going to talk about something really important,

0:34.7

and that is the truth about crime and the RV lifestyle. We're going to separate

0:40.5

the fear from the facts. Now, I'm betting that you have seen many of the dramatic YouTube videos

0:47.0

warning about crime and danger in the RV lifestyle, but how much of that is actually based in

0:53.7

reality? After receiving a deeply

0:56.1

concerning email from a couple whose travel dreams were nearly crushed by sensationalized

1:02.3

fear-mongering, we decided it was time to have an honest conversation with you about safety

1:08.0

on the road. Now, today, we're going to dive into the real statistics.

1:12.5

We're going to separate the legitimate concerns from the manufactured panic that's

1:16.7

keeping good people from living their dreams.

1:20.1

So whether you're already on the road, still planning your escape, or just unsure of

1:25.3

whether you should live out that dream you've had for so long.

1:28.6

Our hope is that this episode will give you the facts you need to travel confidently and safely.

1:34.7

Now, we're going to get into that in just a bit.

1:37.0

But first, we want to talk about the RV News of the week.

1:40.5

There was a big story this week that really got a lot of people riled up.

1:43.8

It had to do with a Florida K-O-A that has been shut down by the state's highway plan,

...

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