a storm in a teacup-4wd ownership

WHAT! They're doing this crap AGAIN!

I couldn't give a flying fig. I drive a perfectly legal Hilux with my perfectly legal licence and pay all required taxes.....what gives when a law abiding citizen has to put up with this crap........should be a law against this harassment.

I try not to drive my 4x4 in Sydney but at times I have to. I'm intimidated by semi trailers and busses which far outnumber the 4x4's. I just wonder where the 4x4 manufacturers and sales persons are when this excrement hits the airwaves? It must do their busness no end of good. One other thing worth noting is that everytime this subject gets aired there are always subtle overtones than an extra tax or more expensive licence will fix the problem.

but do you notice who keeps sponsoring this crap

oh what a feeling???????????

back on deck again 4 days in hospital with a poisoned leg i reckon the road to darwin and back is paved with dead black cats

steve

subtle overtones of an extra tax................I dont think so. they just put the price of diesel up more as they know the money people with 4x4s have unleaded ones. this way they dont upset their backers. if 25% of people own a 4x4, then why dont we vote the knockers out of govt?????? besides, ch10 had a bit on its news and it seemed to be a bit pro 4x4.
just my 1/2cents worth anyway.

Bob

As soon as the current 4X4 fashion is over the better.
Then we can get back to doing what we enjoy.
Then again ... a 4WD license test would stop a lot of the extra 4WD's on the road.
I would be happy to have my license endorsed if it came to that but I know a lot of people who would baulk at it.
There would be cheap 4by's to be had by all who wanted one then.
cheers
Oskar

Editors have a list of subjects on which they do regular 'time filler' stories. When there is a gap, they go to their cheat list of possible subjects to beat up. Then some hack journalist is detailled to shake the tree a bit to get a column or two.

For example, for years and years at the outset of Spring Brisbane's good ol' redneck sunday rag has done a scare story (posing as news of course) on redback spiders. You know the one - wierd looking expert finding spiders under park benches etc etc. As a result all the mums rush off and spray everything including the kids and cat with something that really is lethal.

Each year come September many daily rags do a series of scare pieces (masquerading as a public service to parents/students, of course) on the year 12 exams.

There are also the 'Year 12 students running wild with booze and sex and frightening grannies' stories.

When you start to look you will see many 'set pieces' that are dragged out to fill the papers, radio talk show time and TV 'current affairs'.

I'm afraid that 'killer', 'fuel guzzling', 'bull-barred' 4X4s with 'insensitive, maniac' drivers have become more bags of bones for hacks to worry from time to time.

Of course it's even better news if it can be made 'controversial' through stirring up some rage and hatred.

What about some nominations for an award for the Sorriest-Assed Hack in the Australian Media?

People keep crying they are intimidated by 4wds.

Please explain to me how forcing me to get a 4wd license will change this?

It's not the 4WDs that's the current issue on the road - it's the smart arse Jap rice-ups driven by 17 year olds that are the problem.

No common road sense, don’t indicate, cut in front at the last moment at the red light, group up across all lanes and deliberately slow down to hold back the traffic so their dumb arse mates up front can drag race to the next set of lights etc etc etc.

That’s what should be targeted not the 4WD owners – I’m sure there are lots of Govt regd vehicles that are 4WDs too – one comes to mind are the 100 series parked at the side of the road taking those special photos if you drive by too fast – will they be band?

Just another knee jerk media report as there’s not much else to talk about at 6.30pm.

Sometimes it is pointless trying to shadow box all the criticisms, most reasonably minded people will usually draw their own conclusions, unreasonable people will never be convinced in any case.

As a group who own and enjoy four-wheel driving the responsibility falls to us to ensure that we all conduct ourselves in a way so as to make the irrational debate about four-wheel drives obsolete.

Easy said than done I hear many say, but the more of us that do the right thing – the better!

This is our best form of defence.

Landie

As a footnote to my previous post, it is worth noting that all the major news networks use four-wheel drives, with satellite dishes on top, to get around the city – odd world isn’t it!

Landie