Riding in Truck Campers is Illegal in Five States, and Two Are in New England

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

It's camping season, and anyone who has a camper is excitedly getting prepped and ready so they can hit the open highways and byways to see the country or a favorite region, save on flying and hotels, and enjoy the freedom that campers offer.

One of the most popular types of campers is the truck camper that attaches to pick-up trucks.

According to Motor Biscuit, this is because the perks of simplicity are pretty attractive.  These vehicles are smaller and on the less expensive side, you can park them in any parking space that a regular vehicle usually parks, they travel lightly, and you can get to more rural areas or hard-to-reach locations for exploring and camping that larger campers just can't handle or maneuver.

But here's the thing, while another plus for so many is the freedom of using them as overflow for larger families by riding inside of one or for stretching out and napping on longer journeys while someone else drives, five states say it's just too dangerous to ride in them.

According to Truck Camper Adventure, more states should make it illegal because they don't have seatbelts and you can't talk back and forth with the driver normally. Truck campers also don't go through crash testing, so they're not built for higher-speed collisions and rollover accidents.

Apparently New Hampshire and Maine are completely on board with the dangers that exist with riding in truck campers, because it's illegal to do it in those two New England states.  Arkansas, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania are the other three states where it's illegal to ride in a truck camper.

Safe travels happy campers.