Cowboy Tour Operator Drivers!

100% right Sand Man. I mentioned this a while back and had a few dumb replies but when done with caution it is the only way to stop these ignorant people. Not always tour operators either - I have been amazed at how many people towing caravans and camper trailers also do not slow when you give them some room!

Not a very responsible reply Sandman, i would of thought better coming from you.

Risking yours and your passengers lives, not to mention the passengers in the tour vehicle, is just plain stupid.

Baz.

Hi,
I suppose this will be one of the "dumb" replies that Kiwi Kia is referring to. I know who I think is the dumb one. I agree with Redback only more so.

There is no justification for deliberately steering towards an oncoming vehicle. Apart from the fact that it is dangerous, illegal and just plain stupid it also makes a presumption that you have some right to discipline someone else for their behaviour. Who appointed you to the role of frightener of the cowboys?

Are you seriously saying that you have steered towards an oncoming car that you estimated to be travelling too fast?

I'm blown away.

I had a guy go to sleep coming towards me a few years ago. We crossed with each of us on the wrong side of the road, before he ploughed off into a large ditch. The thought that this car could have pulled back to the correct side when I was swinging to the right still freaks me. To think that it could have been a moron trying to be some sort of self appointed road marshall is just too much.

If any of you truly do this I hope you end up in jail before you cause an accident.

Cheers Frank.

>>> Yes not very responsible reply...

Just like the responsibility shown towards other road drivers by the tour operators..
IMHO, my family is more important to save than some dude on a Wally World time shedule to get the people he is rorting to their koala parade.

If you did it with the headlights and spotties on, or flashed them repeatedly they might get the hint...

Find out the name of the company and reprt them to the SA Road/Licensing authority, and to Tourism SA. No fun when the ppl stop being referred to you company due to a bad rap from the Govt tourism ppl....

Video them and email it as evidence....

Thanks for the feedback folks.

It is not something I do regularly because most travellers approaching me, visibly slow to a respectable speed, as I do to them. And we acknowledge each other's actions with the good old Aussie wave. It's called common courtesy.

But when you see a d i c k h e a d barrelling down the track towards you, you do what you can to protect your own passengers safety and property. If putting a temporary obstruction in front of them is the only way to get them to recognise they are not the only road users, then I will most certainly do it.

Why should I screw up my holiday with a broken windscreen or worse, because some cretin believes he owns the road and the sole right of passage on it.

"Why should I screw up my holiday with a broken windscreen or worse, because some cretin believes he owns the road and the sole right of passage on it."

I think a broken windscreen is far better than a death or injury on your holiday.

No excuse for stupidity.

Baz.

This is about you too Eric. You are a tour operator.

It also applies to Truckster of "High Country head out the window, wheel articulation Photo, Nissan Box model patrol Tours".

Thanks as per usual the minority stuffs it up for everyone else.
Just like the 4wd debate a few knuckle heads that do the wrong thing and we all become knuckel head 4wd drive owners.

All the best
Eric

Yes, Eric.

Not picking on you or yours, but this is about ALL OF US.

If we ALL really slow down when oncoming traffic appears on a dirt road, then there is a tiny chance that the habit will spread.

And the recalcitrants then can be more easily abused.

Ken

The selfish irresponsible drivers will keep on doing it because they think they can get away with it without penalty.

It's unlikely they'll do it to an oncoming Police car so it's up to the victims to do something.

Once they realise they will be reported to Police, Parks, their employers and photographs and videos will shown as evidence of their dangerous driving, they will think twice about doing it again.

You can tell from the white glow of thier skin, they glow red if been here for 2 days or more

Wow. He must be good to see all that as the vehicle speeds in the opposite direction, showering him with stones at the same time!
I'm impressed.
Alan H.

nah, you can see it 1/2 a km away.

That's just the kind of smart ass reply I got from one of the drivers that I caught up with after turning around and catching up to him!

ALAN YOUR A GOOSE , GEE .... YOU THINK I AM IGNORANT>>>

TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

I never said you were ignorant Grandpa Joe, in fact I said I was impressed by your ability.
Of course, now you've told us all you turned around and actually chased one of the pigs I understand.
I don't blame you for being upset by their driving but it happens all the time on virtually every dirt road there is.
And I bet despite you giving him a bit of a slagging off his driving hasn't improved one bit!
He's a goose (apart from me that is) but eventually he'll grow up and learn to share the road and have consideration for others instead of trying to impress his English (or other) tourists with his skills.
Alan H.

I don't totally agree, but coming on here and complaining isn't going to make much difference to anything.

Usually the vehicle has signage - often visible when on-coming.

Often you can recognise the same vehicle somewhere else (you were going in to some site, and they were coming out, and you happen to meet them later in the day - say).

Collect what info you can incl place, time and date and dob them in ... please, for the reputation of us tour operators who aren't trying to unrealistically do ALL the sites in one day ;-)

Clearly not all tour companies are as bad as the guys you've seen.

Ciao for now
Andrew.

Good point Andrew,
I did encounter good driving mannered tour operators as well, and praise their skills in managing the people they were guiding, promoting a tread lightly attitude.
Some of these operators are quite friendly and helpfull to talk to as well !
I wish these operators the best of luck in the future and hope they never lose enjoyment in their job. :)

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Some backup

Go the Landy......

My experience with both tour operators and some government vehicles driving the Cape has proved many times that a vehicle driven by someone who doesn't own it always travels much faster and brakes much better than any owner driver.

Pooley