Another Area of Stupidity

Tats

New Member
Right here on this thread we've seen some discussion on the stupid antics of some 4wdrivers in the bush, but what about right close and near on our blacktop suburban roads? My little mate, Clancy, received a shock:eek: when I took him to the vet on Thursday to have his heartworm shot: "He's 3.8 kilos overweight," we were told. "10 kg is barely acceptable but 13.8, NO WAY" said the vet. So along with adjusting his diet I decided to recommence his walking ritual that I've become a bit lax with recently, and he was delighted:p!

We started off about an hour ago (1700), we walked out the front door where I was hailed by a neighbour. We stopped and talked for a few minutes, there were a number of kids playing in the street, when roaring up the road came a muddy, white Toyota Forerunner, complete with balloon-type tyres. We both looked up at the roar of the engine. The driver approached one of the several small roundabouts on our strip at an estimated speed of about 80 kph (it's a 50 kph zone) and didn't slacken off. Instead he aimed the vehicle at the centre of the roundabout and literally bounced over the top swerving almost uncontrollably all over the road as the vehicle alighted, and then set his course for the next one. The kids stood looking in amazement. My neighbour who really doesn't have a great deal of time for 4 wheelers spat in disgust. "Did you get the b******s number? I'll give it to my son (whose a cop), we'll fix his b****y wicket!"

Suddenly I felt ashamed. Here was one of my type, a 4 wheel driver, acting like a complete dickhead in view of the public, and revelling in it what's more. "Sorry, no I didn't", I responded lamely. Four wheel drivers cop enough flack and criticism as it is without mindless morons like this bloke increasing the problem.:mad::mad::mad:

Tats:cool:
 

4X4

Moderator
Right here on this thread we've seen some discussion on the stupid antics of some 4wdrivers in the bush, but what about right close and near on our blacktop suburban roads? My little mate, Clancy, received a shock:eek: when I took him to the vet on Thursday to have his heartworm shot: "He's 3.8 kilos overweight," we were told. "10 kg is barely acceptable but 13.8, NO WAY" said the vet. So along with adjusting his diet I decided to recommence his walking ritual that I've become a bit lax with recently, and he was delighted:p!

We started off about an hour ago (1700), we walked out the front door where I was hailed by a neighbour. We stopped and talked for a few minutes, there were a number of kids playing in the street, when roaring up the road came a muddy, white Toyota Forerunner, complete with balloon-type tyres. We both looked up at the roar of the engine. The driver approached one of the several small roundabouts on our strip at an estimated speed of about 80 kph (it's a 50 kph zone) and didn't slacken off. Instead he aimed the vehicle at the centre of the roundabout and literally bounced over the top swerving almost uncontrollably all over the road as the vehicle alighted, and then set his course for the next one. The kids stood looking in amazement. My neighbour who really doesn't have a great deal of time for 4 wheelers spat in disgust. "Did you get the b******s number? I'll give it to my son (whose a cop), we'll fix his b****y wicket!"

Suddenly I felt ashamed. Here was one of my type, a 4 wheel driver, acting like a complete dickhead in view of the public, and revelling in it what's more. "Sorry, no I didn't", I responded lamely. Four wheel drivers cop enough flack and criticism as it is without mindless morons like this bloke increasing the problem.:mad::mad::mad:

Tats:cool:

Tats there is good and bad in all groups, but clearly this act of blatant disregard is not acceptable. Unfortunately, it just confirms some peoples perception of all 4WDrivers as hoons!
 

Grumpy

Moderator
Yeah no exactly what U mean but doesn't always refer to the idiots on the black stuff, the other day Gunna Robz and myself went up to O'Tooles and it was probably the only Grassed area around that wasn't effected by some IDIOT or IDIOTS that saw fit to tear the shit out of a lot of areas just to I guess, 'GET HIS RO*KS OFF'
This was evident in several areas along McEvoys Track also where at one place the comment on the radio was, I reckon he used a full tank of Juice and GONE know where as the damage was so significant, It's people like this that I would have no hesitation reporting.
 

Nickj

5th Annual Victorian Gathering member
Tats

Shame you didn't get his number plate. It's these people taht give 4wding a bad name.

Grumpy, yeah, we saw that area on McEvoys the other week. There was once a small town in that area. We walked down to the spring which was flowing a little water. The DSE guy Noel gave us a great commentry on this area. The ice on the puddles was 10mm thick!

Nick

Nick
 

Grey Ghost

5th Annual Victorian Gathering member
Its the ones that think coz I'm in a 4by I can drive like I want that S*** me the most.
Grantedly I do drive confidently and am not scared of other cars (or trucks) but the way some people drive their toorak tractors you do wonder if they realize that there are other people trying to share the road with them. Most pointedly being the school mums in the cruisers and patrols (appologies to the real cruiser/patrol drivers out there ) that have never seen dirt, mud, or anyting but bitumen dust in their entire life. If they need a people mover buy a Blo**y Kia Carnival and don't act likje they own the road by behaving like they have no idea about road ettiquete or general manners.
Soory got up on my soap box for a minute there...
 

goldrush

Moderator
I try not to categorize people. If some people want to buy a 4wd to take the kids to school that's their right. I think there are idiots in every type of vehicle. 4wd's just tend to be more visible and more people are intimidated by them because of their sheer size. It is for this reason that we tend to cop more than our fair share of attention. Smaller cars are quite often driven by tossers too. Just ask Quozie how much damage a Mazda 3 can do in the wrong hands. If we start to tell people that they shouldn't have a 4wd unless they take it off-road we are no better than those who knock us for going off-road. The problem is not the vehicle.....It is the driver. People need better training before they are set loose on our roads.
Just my opinion.

Goldrush
 

Pure Yobbo

Moderator
I try not to categorize people. If some people want to buy a 4wd to take the kids to school that's their right. I think there are idiots in every type of vehicle. 4wd's just tend to be more visible and more people are intimidated by them because of their sheer size. It is for this reason that we tend to cop more than our fair share of attention. Smaller cars are quite often driven by tossers too. Just ask Quozie how much damage a Mazda 3 can do in the wrong hands. If we start to tell people that they shouldn't have a 4wd unless they take it off-road we are no better than those who knock us for going off-road. The problem is not the vehicle.....It is the driver. People need better training before they are set loose on our roads.
Just my opinion.

Goldrush

Well said Goldrush.
 

Ven

Member
I try not to categorize people. If some people want to buy a 4wd to take the kids to school that's their right. I think there are idiots in every type of vehicle. 4wd's just tend to be more visible and more people are intimidated by them because of their sheer size. It is for this reason that we tend to cop more than our fair share of attention. Smaller cars are quite often driven by tossers too. Just ask Quozie how much damage a Mazda 3 can do in the wrong hands. If we start to tell people that they shouldn't have a 4wd unless they take it off-road we are no better than those who knock us for going off-road. The problem is not the vehicle.....It is the driver. People need better training before they are set loose on our roads.
Just my opinion.

Goldrush

well said Cliff, hit the nail on the head
 

Grey Ghost

5th Annual Victorian Gathering member
I must point out that yes there are just as many idiot drivers in small cars out there but they tend not to be as noticable ( on average) as the twits in people movers etc. I understand the problems that some have had with little Mazdas but generally the ones we notice are the ones driving badly in larger vehicles, unfortunately the media seem to think 4wds are created by the devil himself and so we tend to think the worst of people driving them. It doesn't help things by having people behave in a way that either implies thry think they own the road or they have no idea about the road rules but these days this "style" of driving seems to be the norm as apposed to the exception.
I say all this from the point of view of an on the road serviceman who drives a 4by but who sees the best and worst of Mr and Ms Joe Average motorist on a daily basis.
 

grit

Member
This is the sort of image we need to be more involved in... Media want News - be it positive or negative.....

Canobalas4wd.jpg
 

Joe

Active Member
I totally agree with all of what has been said. I spend 6 days of the week on the road as a professional driver, and cover between 800- 1000klms a week. Some of what I see and have to deal with just should not happen. It will more often be someone in a small car that stuffs it up. I don't see to many 4wd owners doing something stupid, usually someone in a normal car. Some people just have no respect for the road laws or other motorists, and in my observations, it normally alot of the younger drivers the will give me the most headaches. Some of them must think that they are indestuctable. Overall though, the 4wd owners that I see, alot of them do the right thing.
 

grit

Member
Albert Einstein once quoted ....

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
 

Tats

New Member
Frustration

Yeah, thanks guys, normally it would be some young p-plater in one of those tiny zip-abouts with about the same body strength as a tomato soup can:eek:. They rip up and down our street all the time, doing wheelies and donuts - unfortunately it's a scenic through road (see pix of my "front yard"), and I think of them with the same feeling of derision, they're morons:mad:. Thankfully, some will grow up to be decent people, and the others, well . . . I guess that I'm just super sensitive because I'm very aware of the criticism we 4wheelers have to endure, and mainly unjustified. You're also spot on about the damage done in the bush, but unless you can identify these idiots, there's not much we can do. Yep, it is a shame that I didn't get this idiots rego number:(.

Tats:cool:
 

Tats

New Member
Whoops, what happened to the image? It was too large, so I had to reduce it in size.

Tats:D
 

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Grey Ghost

5th Annual Victorian Gathering member
Nice view from your yard Tats..may need to improve the road with some home made speed humps..
 

BEK

4x4 Earth Contributer
To add my two bobs worth here

I came from a sports 3 series to my 4by over 5 years ago. What I remember was the different way other drivers treat you on the road. The size suggests to most car drivers it is a truck so therefore can easily overtaken and just zip in after the lights go green, and a quickly turn before the truck gets to you. Unfortunately the new 4bys are just as quick as a car hence the fear factor when these drivers see a big vehicle bearing down in their rear mirror as they are trying to turn into a side street

I have spoken to several of my "unwashed" mates on why this is so and the feedback usually comes back "so I can see what is front of me". therefore when on the tarmac we as 4by drivers need to allow for this just as our professional truck drivers have attested they have to do each day.

An extra 30 seconds doesn't add too much to any trip and probably made up at the next set of lights.
 

grit

Member
Well said Bek, a little courtesy on the roads is almost essential, and nothing wrong with leading by example
 

Sharky

New Member
I try not to categorize people. If some people want to buy a 4wd to take the kids to school that's their right. I think there are idiots in every type of vehicle. 4wd's just tend to be more visible and more people are intimidated by them because of their sheer size. It is for this reason that we tend to cop more than our fair share of attention. Smaller cars are quite often driven by tossers too. Just ask Quozie how much damage a Mazda 3 can do in the wrong hands. If we start to tell people that they shouldn't have a 4wd unless they take it off-road we are no better than those who knock us for going off-road. The problem is not the vehicle.....It is the driver. People need better training before they are set loose on our roads.
Just my opinion.

Goldrush

THANKYOU.......I've been saying that for years, & the gov'ts version of more driver training is horse crap. When u can deliberately put a car sideways & bring it back, understand how body roll etc works, & know the affects of brakin & accellerating when turning & what it does to your position on the road, then u have some idea of how to drive. Then u need the discernment of what situation calls for what action. Even the instructors don't really know what they r doing. Going slow is NOT the answer to safe driving. Being able to colntrol a car in a split second IS. Eye-hand coordination & reaction times should come into it but they don't.

***
 
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LowLux

Moderator
The idiot that did that is obviously not a part of the 4wd community because anyone that is would know we have to be more vigilant than most on the roads. It really is a shame people like that can cause so many non 4wders to see us in a bad tone.
 
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