Melbourne's Today Tonight @6:30pm

[Aus4wd]

Michael Coldham - President of 4WD Victoria will be on Today Tonight representaing all 4WD'ers in relation to the article in today's AGE Newspaper on page 6.

They are trying to introduce special licences for owners of 4WD vehicles and one of their efforts to lower the road toll and to place a 60k/ph speed limit on urban arterial roads!

PM me if you would like a copy of this article emailed to you

[RaginRover]

For once I would like a balanced presentation, make the guys drive through the hats in a 4x4 and a falcon ... the outcome would have been nearly exactly the same.

[spazbot]

yeah was thinkign exactly the same thing would like to see how any other car went in that test, and yes offocurse a leaner is going to fuck it up bad

[Rainbow Warrior]

Yep, when are we going to see special licencing for van, 2 tonne truck, ute & sedan drivers who also fail witches hat tests whilst being pushed past their vehicle skill levels. Better yet, just get rid of licence testing all together for witches hat tests.

I reckon the 18yo did bloody well considering he'd never driven a large 4wd before, just because he did the hats the wrong way he fails?

Last time I did a witch hat slalom I failed badly too, but I was blindfolded at the time and my navigator was not a lot of help.

[matthewK]

i reacon if 4x4 need a special lice i reacon
people with utes need em
people with diff size motors need em
people on bikes
mums with prams
elderly with motor carts

so on it just a load of bs if ya ask me

[MYTTUF]

All shit aside though, SOME people can't drive any cars let alone a 4wd. It would only be fair to test all drivers if a test was required and I'm sure all those that can drive would pass, leaving the mentally challenged few to fail and get out of everyones way. The test would have to consist of more thorough challenges than witches hats though, as my misses reckons she'd fail if she had a mooron next to her yelling like that bloke was. And like someone already said, even a 2wd car would,t pass that kinda test.
By the way my misses drives the 80 as her road car and handles it OK.

[berazafi]

I personally belive if you own a 4x4 you should know how to use it and not just get yourself and others that pull up to find you in a situation. I also beleve you should have a licence to tow but thats another thing, i havnt read the article and i dont watch today tonight anymore because of there one sided reports. Just my 2cents worth (please dont yell at me)

[AussieCJ7]

I think they should bring it in








It then paves the way for a special test for sports cars and ricer's




then all the other crap on the road


soon enough we will have real licence testing not the one you find in the weeties box like now


one to drive on the open road would be good too many city drivers have no idea when they are doing 100+ k's on the open road

have a city licence and a country one you need oth to drive in the other

[MYTTUF]

Its more about knowing your and your vehicles limits and sticking to them.

[ORSM45]

i think the news has run out of ideas and had to come back to 'the evil 4wds in our lovely unpolluted cities, killing everything in their sight'

its a crock of shyte and doesnt even deserve to be brought up.

4wds dont kill people, stoopid people kill people.

and tell me how many more crashes will it cause if 4wds have to go 60km/h. road rage will increase, people will do stoopid things to get around the 4wds and cause accidents.

besides the accidents how would they police it?

just take your front tailshaft out and register it as a light truck.

MaccA

[Ferwoaza]

There was one line in that show that I thought was brilliant...

What do you classify as a 4wd?

Do you include Subaru's, both Softroaders and WRX as they are 4wd technically as well?

Rav4's?

[turps]

I agree with macca, about the 60km/h rule, it is just a stupid rule. Have alook at the amount of close calls there are on all freeways and/or anyother rd, where some clown is doing 10%under the limit, let alone 40%. It is a dumb idea and will never happen, cos then the same thing will be said regards trucks, utes, vans, bikes etc.

Its a bit like the outcry over learners driving hi-pow cars (ie XR8,HSV's, Ferrari etc). The recent accident wouldnt have mattered what she was driving, if anything it would have been safer (except for power output) as the car would have sports tyres and susp, and most likly the cruise control was on anyhow.

It's just people, making rash decisions without thinking.

[bogged]

Its more about knowing your and your vehicles limits and sticking to them.

EXACTLY. See waht a learner in a club sport can do?? Hmmmmm?

Hows the Cookie form, telling them to go faster, its not a sunday drive, then when they hit the cones, they were bad drivers??


How long can they continue with this bullshit statistics from USA, and also the video footage was also from USA .. the read shitbox jeep rollin 10 tmes... YANK SHIT....

i think the news has run out of ideas and had to come back to 'the evil 4wds in our lovely unpolluted cities, killing everything in their sight...

what about learners in club sports..?? NOT A F U C K I N G word on that.

[Looney]

Its more about knowing your and your vehicles limits and sticking to them.

I will agree here.....

My daily driver is an VT R8 Clubsport and I do push it....but withing my limits...Had advanced driver training.....

My weekend warrior is a 79 Hilux...that I push beyond it's limits, but only in the bush where I am the only one at risk.....

I have lost enough friends from accidents to screw around on the roads....

[bogged]

Then theres this today as well

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/ ... 19392.html


small snippet..


An accredited trainer with the Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council, Norman Bee, said he was supportive of extra training for drivers who used their four-wheel-drives for recreational purposes.

But Mr Bee, head of the council's South Australian driver training unit, said he did not think drivers should have to undergo training if they did not buy their four-wheel-drive to drive off road.

"I don't think you can make the training mandatory for those type of people."

The chief executive of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, norti werd Head, has been pushing for special licences for all four-wheel-drives over two tonnes for several years.

"What they really are are trucks made to look like cars," Mr Scruby said. "People who drive trucks don't have standard licences, so why should drivers of LandCruisers and Pajeros have standard licenses?"



The report called for 50kmh limits on all suburban roads in Australia and a 60kmh limit on urban arterial roads.

Mr Neville said that every year about 1700 people died in road accidents in Australia and many more were seriously injured,

[carts]

Well, I'll probably get creamed, but why not introduce it then and happily accept it... Maybe then it will raise the 4wd'ers profiles. If people see that 4wders have to undergo a new licensing for safety reasons, then they might be happier to accept them on our roads.

I know its a load of crap when it comes down to the crunch, but who knows, maybe it will get rid of those soccer mums giving the 4wder's a bad name!

[ORSM45]

The report called for 50kmh limits on all suburban roads in Australia and a 60kmh limit on urban arterial roads.

why dont we just start riding bikes. probably still break the speed limit, but you wont have to pay rego.

BTW soccor mums will be able to get their husbands to buy their licenses for them.

it wont solve anything. just cost more money.

[bad_religion_au]

that accident that just happened with the learner in the V8 commo,agree with turps, that car was gunna smash. no way the extra power had anything to do with it considering they were cruising around 100 k's. probably in that ridiculously high 6th gear, so any more engine power is swallowed then and there.

i think maybe an additional license for 4x4ers is a good thing, less soccer mums, more used 80's/ gq's for us, and no more scrubby excuses, but then again there should be tighter licencing for ALL drivers. i mean a kid can get his licence in a automatic shoe box, jump in an auto VL turbo calaise (weight is just allowable) and do a sprint run up mount hotham in the same day, black ice, turbo output, shit driver = crash

alternately, a kid can get an auto licence in a shoebox, keep driving a shoebox for 3 years, then step into a manual RWD with any power output.

scary thing was when my mate who learnt to drive in a laser, only ever drove a laser, got his licence in a laser, then stepped into a 4-6 inch lifted 4 runner, and proceeded to scare the shit out of me, cause he didn't know his car width, length, capabilities, or roll center.

[cj]

Bring it in then we will see a lot of 4wd's on the market and there would be some great shopping to be done but honestly just so many reasons why it's not practical. How many voters would be affected?

[MQ080]

i think the news has run out of ideas and had to come back to 'the evil 4wds in our lovely unpolluted cities, killing everything in their sight'

BINGO

As if anything is really going to happen... it's all just rating winners

[Webbie]

Then theres this today as well

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/ ... 19392.html


small snippet..


An accredited trainer with the Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council, Norman Bee, said he was supportive of extra training for drivers who used their four-wheel-drives for recreational purposes.

But Mr Bee, head of the council's South Australian driver training unit, said he did not think drivers should have to undergo training if they did not buy their four-wheel-drive to drive off road.

"I don't think you can make the training mandatory for those type of people."

The chief executive of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, norti werd Head, has been pushing for special licences for all four-wheel-drives over two tonnes for several years.

"What they really are are trucks made to look like cars," Mr Scruby said. "People who drive trucks don't have standard licences, so why should drivers of LandCruisers and Pajeros have standard licenses?"



The report called for 50kmh limits on all suburban roads in Australia and a 60kmh limit on urban arterial roads.

Mr Neville said that every year about 1700 people died in road accidents in Australia and many more were seriously injured,

Yeap id brought my truck with no intention to go 4wding but found myself up this grade 3 track ,OH well sorry mr plod i wont do it again. As if that law would work, we should all do some reserch and you may find the TV presenters probably own 4bs.

[moose]

channel 9 just gave it a go as well !!!
Mr "i,m a w@nker" Scrubby ,sooking about 4x4,s over 2tonne
& editor of 4x4 Australia , shooting him down with every comment !!!!
priceless !!!!

[82 Lux]

If we all go for a special licence to drive a 4wd, then will every one else have to get a special licence to drive a particular type of car ie EL Falcon, AU Falcon, VL Commo, VX commo, Corolla, excel etc etc etc. They all handle differently and there is nothing stopping anyone from getting out of their excel and into a clubie or GT coon and tearing up the road. Where will it end. Ban stupid drivers..............

[sascot]

The glaringly obvious problem is that these shinny bums are talking about mandatory 'offroadtraining'. What's the point, the statistics they are quoting are for fatalities ONROAD, not off.Speed kills, not the 5km/hr rollover on a ledge. Have been in Shitney for 6 weeks now, wot a joke. If u leave half a car length some one dives in and then indicates. Usually it's one of those 'zippy' cars that slide in and out of traffic. Yet i can cruise along in the traffic and people keep a respectable distance (the road rage invasion of space level) doesn't increase.(luv the 4b) There is definately a difference in Sydney driving and Qld, but also as posted above city/country driving. I agree with driver training, the idjut in the highpowered streetcar generally has no idea beyond the limits of there ego.

[Aus4wd]

Was I hearing things on last nights program or did they mention their ws going to be a poll on what they discussed last night??

The only poll I found on their website was whether Learner Drivers should be able to drive powerful cars?

[ceredig]

There is another side to this you know.

If we end up having to take an extra test to demonstrate the additional skills needed to handle a 4x4, we would then be an elite class of driver.

In a dispute or prosecution, say after an accident, should the guy with the higher class of licence get the benefit over the guy with the ordinary licence?
Would your insurance will be cheaper if you have a higher class of licence?

The two ideas above are actually negative in the big picture of things. As well, there will be the hoon that gets the elite class licence and thinks that this will allow him to play up.

This idea was last discussed many years ago when it was thought a good idea to improve driver standards by offering an advanced driver test after a few years of experience.

The idea was dumped then and should be now.

[Andrew_C]

The commodore the learner was driving was as safe a vehicle as any to hit a truck head on at 100ks ( You could see the deflated airbags still)- imagine doing that in an accent or one of those spastic little ford ka's- Be picking up pieces from km's away - may be safer for the truck driver though?

On the licence -I drive 12 tonne 4x4 trucks with work - will I need another licence for that as well as my 4x4 licence and truck licence - Oh and the trucks have steel bullbars & they are owned by the government.
Like most news and current affairs these days- hyped up crap, If it wasn't reported, nobody would know any different.

I was talking about this to my girlfriend the other day watching current affair and when they ask people to ring in with ideas for stories, ring and complain about the one on the other channel, then do the opposite, Hopefully getting current affairs shows just bagging themselves into oblivion!!!

[goodie]

i reacon if 4x4 need a special lice i reacon
people with utes need em
people with diff size motors need em
people on bikes
mums with prams
elderly with motor carts

so on it just a load of bs if ya ask me

MUMS WITH PRAMS

[bogged]

Like most news and current affairs these days- hyped up crap, If it wasn't reported, nobody would know any different.

but the thing is, that they re-run the same bullshit distorted facts every few weeks.. you think Mr and Mrs Average Moron aussie out there isnt believing this shit? its been shown so often in the last few yrs, (try a search for 4wd at www.todaytonight.com.au) that it cant do anything BUT stick.

Didnt any of you notice that papers were tabled in Parliment yesterday on this? With an election coming up, what do you REALLY think will happen? There side is yelling a WHOLE LOT LOUDER than ourside.

[bundytunna]

put plain and simple they wont ban 4wd's coz it is fast growing industry and the governmnet would go ape without all the extra taxes etc
and you'd be surprised how many people who own 4wd's dont knowhow to use em
i recently did the TLC driver training weekend and some blokes didnt even know how to engage 4wd!!!