Marysville Vic police booking four wheel drivers

Funny isn't it, we complain if the police do nothing, but then whinge if they target 4x4s to make the roads safer.

Hi Vince

I think that some of them should get away with it.

I took the risk because i think thats a better way to bring up the kids, for the reasons I tried to explain in post 63620.

Hi Robin

I have read the post you refered to and can see where you are comming from, BUT.

I should exolain that I have also ridden bikes (30 years ago) that were unregistered in state forests but have also been on the other end of the situation where we were hit, while changing a tyre, by an unregistered rider. In this case it was a case of taking civil action against the rider without much hope of getting any mony or pay the excess & loose the no claim .

As I said I can see where you are comming from. We need to have areas where kids can push the limits & learn in safety, but again it is a case of walking that fine line.

Regards
Vince

A friend of mines son has just broken his back, now a paraplegic & still may lose his arm, riding unlicensed, on an unregistered trail bike.

A friend of mines son has just broken his back, now a paraplegic & still may lose his arm, riding unlicensed, on an unregistered trail bike.

Hi Guys

Actually I don't support as such unregistered bikes or unlicensed riders except in so far as there is no alternative to being same.

I.E. All of our bikes are now registered , because they can be - some years ago they weren't because the type of bike that kids needed simply couldn't be.

Same as for licences, our state governments do stupid things and one of those has been to raise the age at which you can get a bike learners permit to 18.
Against this there has been a huge swell of teenagers under 18 wishing to ride bikes in our forrests- hence by default , they have no options but to ride unlicensed.

If there was some form of junior license that allowed then to ride them in real areas then I would support that and I am sure the public would be on the side of the regulators.

I have seen recently that all that is happening as the result of counterproductive efforts by the police like this post refers to is to create a huge disrespect for the police , a lack of co-operation with them when its needed and the development of them/us attitudes amongst young adults.

Sorry, but kids don't need bikes they want bikes, & teenagers do have another option.

Hi Shaker

I note your reference to a friends serious injury.
In that post I did, it sounds all exciting but at the end of the day
4 people ended up with broken bones, so you might reasonably ask if its all worth it.

Their is no question that the kids teenagers any many adults think it is for a whole variety of reasons.
The depth of this move in recent years is hard to appreciate unless you go to somewhere like Glenburn roadhouse on a saturday morning, grab a coffee and just count the huge number of trailbikes passing by.
The statistics show this as one of the fastest growing sport areas, and I'm sure part of this is due to over bureaucratic interference in other areas which are seeing a reduction of activity.

I believe and I think our psychologists agree that something with a challenge, a little bit on the edge, and with an element of danger and excitment is fundamental to good childhood development.

In my day we didn't have bikes or drugs so much but we had guns instead.

These days teenagers have a lot more effective freedom and have a wide range of choices and channeling that energy into riding bikes seems to be a reasonable outlet and if done
right keeps kids and parents to-gether with a common interest.

The trick we have tried to do is to accompany that desire and energy with insisting on and providing good safety skills and riding practise.

It would help a lot if authorities worked with us to create signicant riding areas with one way tracks etc, however no point in day dreaming , we just work with what we have got.

Hey Robin,

The problem with your realistic attitude in regards to underage use of vehicles and its benefits .... is that the population levels are now too high, residential areas have encroached on suitable play areas and society's current litigation mad mentality. The same things I have to keep reminding myself of ..........

Was a time, you could go surfing at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast and after lunch, push your bike 3 blocks in the opposite direction to the pine forest and go trail riding all afternoon. Not any more ... all houses now and probably owned by people whinging about kids on bikes - riding the streets .... pfffft

A new aspect is the change in society in regard to extreme sports. Obviously its youth looking for challenges, as they always have, but now it is media sensationalised, advertised and marketed. This causes many who would not have an interest, nor an ability in the activity to become involved. IMHO and apart from a few cases, it is these that we see headlined in the news, as statistics of an extreme sport activity.

Like you , I had my young bloke behind the wheel at an age when he could safely reach all the controls. Not public highways obviously ... but mining tracks, state forests and where suitable, and with gained experience - on back country roads.

Oh the shock and horror from the 'legal beagles' and the 'what if' society. Too bad ... suck it up ... As far as I was concerned it was a safety factor ............ As we were regularly away camping, pigging, fossicking etc, the chance of an injury, snake bite etc was always a possibility ... If needed, I knew he would be able to make an unaccompanied journey for assistance without mishap. By comparison ... a nephew who was not allowed near vehicle controls untill of the legal age, died at seventeen and a half ... as a result of a lack of practical experience and knowledge of gravitational effects on a vehicle, when cornering and using the brakes. The damaged speedo showed speed was not an issue, so the brainwashed, anti-speed brigade need not reply. The " cause " of the accident was wandering stock.

Today, easily accessible play areas are diminishing, back country roads are now as busy as country town main streets used to be - and yet kids still need outlets for challenges. Challenges that are training for later life.

At thirty, the now not so young, Young Bloke has yet to have a vehicle accident .... just lucky ???? or did the 5 or 6 year head start, in controlled circumstances, provide a safety factor ???? .....

There are plenty of places where it's legal to ride unlicenced or unregistered - any private property.

You need to be licenced and registered on any public land - crown land or state forests.

My 35" are not for looks - they are standard size for the truck - FC landie.

My 37" are standard too !

I think QLD is only 12mm bigger. I went 23mm as they did not make the light truck tyre in the brand I decided on for my cars standard size. So what do you do? Stay with the standard useless tyres? Or go another useless brand that may make them, like BFGs :-) Cheers Tony

Tony,
It's a sensitive topic but I guess with the financial meltdown affecting Govt revenue this is an easy way to get extra money out of everyone!

Rob

mechpete. How about different States - Different Regs - That needs to be addressed and in a previous post it just may be. Also some of the regs are a bit harsh - dont you think. Especially when 4x4 are made as street cars and not for off road and that is what a lot of us want them for. Gee we have to have somthing to complain about, dont we? :-) Cheers Tony

Tony

No street car could ever go where I have taken my standard 4b. If I wanted to go into anything rougher, I would build whatever was necessary and trailer it to closed areas.

Plenty of people modify 2wd cars for weekend fun on a variety of closed circuits. They don't expect to be allowed to drive them on the streets.

Brian

LOL onya Ianw. That should stir up the show ponies hahahaha

Hi Louie, anything over 300mm in most states need mud flaps, as most cars are less than this they do not have them.

Have fun

Craig

That pretty much sums it all up .....