The killing machine

[Grizzly_Adams]

I know it's not a Land Rover, but it's likely to have an impact on us all...

http://www.thetelegraph.com.au/story/0,202...5001021,00.html (http://www.thetelegraph.com.au/story/0,20281,16839218-5001021,00.html)

THE death of a 3-year-old boy - killed by this modified 4WD on an ordinary suburban street - has prompted calls from road safety experts for an immediate ban on the vehicles.

...

http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,5057812,00.jpg

[x-box]

Could have been a commodore/ tarago/ minivan/ overloaded tradie's ute/ etc etc. also love the way guns pull their own trigger - ban them all. This is of course very sad and traumatic to the people involved and i feel sorry for them (i also have kids), but we can't ban everything that is potentially dangerous. Will be difficult to watch tv or go on the net without electricity after it has been banned for fear of electrocution :?
Louis

[VladTepes]

They were hyping this on "Sunrise" or "Today" this morning too.

The "reporter" was houjding some guy from the 4wd council.

it went along the lines of:

Q: "They have worse visibility though don't they"

A: "I haven't seen the partcilar vehcile involved but...(he then went on to explain how the higher seating position etc actually gives a better view of the road ahead

Q: "Well you'd have to admit the side vision would be worse though wouldn't it"

A: "No, it would be no different"

Q: "I can't undertand why people do it - there is no reason why anyone would need to modify a car like this is there?"

A: a clear, lucid exlanation of legitimate reasons why people would make such modifications, how there's an industry built up around it and it's all very professionally done.

Q: "But the experts are saying ow dangerous they are and they should be banned!"

A: "Well I would questions whether they are experts. The real experts are the engineers within the road traffic autorities who inspect and certify these modificatiosn to ensure they are safe..."

Q "Well, it's certainly a debatable point but something will have to be done..."


In short - the 4wd guy gave a VERY good account of himself on our behalf but it was clear from the interview that the reporter a) had no idea what he was talking about and style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif had an axe to grind for some reason.

How can you fight that sort of ignorant ranting, especially when given the 'credibility' of a national TV reporter.

Interesting to note however that the show was forced to concede at the beginning of the story that the driver had been cleared by police of any wrongdoing !!

[loanrangie]

I bet he didnt ask where the parents of the child were , obviously not watching him !

[discowhite]

the mother of the child was across the road in a shop, she was yelling at the child to stay beside there van when he suddenly ran across the road.

yep it sounds like the drivers fault :evil:

the only bashing that needs to be done is to the writers and editors of the bloody news papers!

phil

[Larry]

Further down in the story it says "police said the driver was not at fault", but that won't sell as many copies as the headline they used style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif :x .

Larry.

[disco95]

It's absulute bullcrud, as sad as the whole situation is, how many children have been killed by sedans ect :?: Yet I don't see anyone jumping up and down about them being on the road :evil:
Frikking prejudice, that's what it is. :evil:
The visibility in my Disco's a hell of a lot better than in the wifes bloody Honda Civic.

[gruntfuttock]

IF a reporter was asking me questions like that I would most likely ask "Isn't it a reporter job to present the facts from un unbiased point of view, and those who do not obey should be banned like that 4WD that just happend to be there when a child run out in front of it. If it was a car would you also be calling for a ban on all cars? And finally would the world be much safer if we just banned everything in it that had at one time caused an accident?

[barney]

guys,
lets all do our bit, go to the story at the link above and post a comment stating our case. it can't hurt, who knows, people might even read the posts and change their attitudes (yeh right).


we are many, let's use our voice.



<span style="font-size:36pt;line-height:100%">spoken by m.barnes on behalf of the 4wd movement</span>

[disco95]

Said my piece.

[VladTepes]

I submitted the following 'feedback':

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>It's ridiculous to say that 'experts' want these 4wd's banned. What experts ? What qualifications do they have that are relevant? The fact is that road deaths involve all sorts of vehicles, the vast majority of which, I imagine, involve 'sedan' cars. And yet, we do not hear of screams to ban those. It's purely a prejudice against 4wd's that is being perpetuated. Interstingly, a recent survey (NRMA I think it was) cited the one of the worst offenders for 'visibility' as the current model Holden Commodore. My old model Range Rover, has excellent views in all directions. In future, let's hope the media remembers to do IT'S job and present an UNBIASED reporting of the events, rather than pushing one particular point of view.[/b][/quote]

I'll let you know what, if any, response I get.

[George130]

Sad as it is I had my say.
And no they wouldn't be calling for a ban if it was a car but the result would have been the same if a car hit the poor child.