Thread: 4WD's "as safe as cars" - SMH

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Your post raises the question of how you divide cars into groups - for example, classifying cars by the number of driving wheels is not really very sensible - it puts as an example, a Terios and a double cab 130 and an RR Sport into the same category, where they are clearly completely different vehicles - the first would be better grouped with two wheel drive small cheap cars, the second with other working vehicles whether two or four wheel drive, and the third with other luxury cars. Perhaps within each of these groups there may be a reason for subdividing the category into two and four wheel drive, but surely this is not the most important category.
As another example, the most common type of vehicle in a single car fatal accident in the country is a utility driven by an under-25. Nothing to do with the number of driving wheels, but the body style and the age of the driver seem to be significant. Actually the one near here yesterday was a light truck, not a utility, but close enough.
John

Interestingly, years ago in Qld., the cheapest category for Compulsory Third Party insurance was Private use utilities. Then some genius found a way to up the take without "increasing premiums". Private utes got put into the samecategory as private cars, so now we pay more but the premiums were not "increased'. Perhaps the U25's in utes accidents have more to do with Bundaberg Rum and 300 horse power than any other reason?

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I frequently have a look at damaged vehicle auctions. I note the bulk of 4WD's offered are of the private school-pony club-ballet lessons type, you know the ones, metallic paint & velour seats and never been off the bitumen. They most commonly have suffered a classic right turn rollover, rear right pivoting over the left front, which I believe is from going too bloody quick around corners or roundabouts and the driver, recently graduated from a normal car, having no idea of the handling characteristics or capabilities of their new St. ------'s taxi, thinks they are still punting their Honda, Beemer, Benz.

oi ! my SO resembles that remark as her Patrol is never used off road (anymore), it is mainly used for towing her dressage horse and she is currently visiting her sister at Balmoral and driving around the 'North Shore'.......in her filthy, dirty GU ute