Thread: 7 injured in 4WD rollover on Fraser Island - Here we go again...

On the ABC news last night it looked like a new LC. It was on a narrow, washed out section of the beach and by the damage I'd say it rolled a few times.

Originally Posted by WhiteD3

I can't see why they don't just drop the speed limit to say 60kph max. I'm a lead foot at the best of times but I don't see why you need to be in a rush on the beach.

I'd also ban troopies. Not impying that that's what was involved in today's drama.

IMHO

The problem with that is people would still roll them at 60. Also, if you reduce a speed limit below the 90th percentile then you'll get the occasional person obeying it, and everybody else travelling as normal safe speed. This results in many vehicles travelling at different speeds which causes far far more problems than the original issue they were trying to treat.

I've driven around hook point and tried to go as close to 40k as I could so as not to scare the birds. However there were no birds there and I was the only one doing this. Everyone else was just doing the usual safe speed. That's the problem with crazy low limits. Once they are set thats it. They would be better off educating people to drive to the conditions (as most people do) and then smiting them if they don't.. but that doesn't pay the bills.

I think what we should be focusing on is if we take out the backpacker-mobiles how few accidents there are. As to the backpackers...I say we make that the problem of the business owners.

Do they fit roll cages in these hire things? And what about insurance, i would hate to have to pay the excess

In 2006 was $2000 deposit for them
If the vehicle was damaged no refund !

I would ban anything with chunky tyres and make anyone who wants to go on the beach fit really narrow tyres....that way everyone get bogged and you get to meet really interesting people as you all struggle to release ya self from the sand and nobody gets to speed that way 'cos they busy diggin one and other out of the sand and then no one get hurt from roll-overs only from vehicles falling on them when the sand gives away around the massive hole they just dug to release their vehicle. Then they all get charged by the EPA for illegal sand mining and have their vehicles confiscated and that way no-one at all gets squished and rolled on.....see.....solution simple. Its all in the tyres fitted.

It's a tough call to start banning everything, where would you start and finish ?

Saw this on the Lasseter Hwy last week, The Toyota drivers were both Aussies (the prado guy was from Brisbane) and the Defender was rolled by a lady on Sandy Blight Junction. She, her husband and 2 kids walked away with scratches and then drove the Defender a further 400k to Yulara.

It's hard to legislate against bad luck, accidents and peoples stupidity, but seeing the effects of that head on certainly slowed me up and made me take a little bit more care - perhaps showing gruesome pics to ppl who hire 4wds on fraser is a start?

Originally Posted by RobHay

I would ban anything with chunky tyres and make anyone who wants to go on the beach fit really narrow tyres....that way everyone get bogged

i have never had a problem with skiny tyres on the sand........can you get skinnier than 7.50/16s

Originally Posted by rmp

It works both ways, I've seen Aussies try and drive on German autobahns, or handle Parisian traffic or parking. Hopeless until they learn how. In this case it seems the drivers were Aussies, but the same principle applies, beach driving is a skill that needs to be learned. Sometimes experts forget how far advanced they are.

Try learning any new physical skill with an element of danger and see how long it takes before you do something "stupid" out of ignorance. Having spent a lot of time teaching flying and driving, I suggest it won't be long.

If you want some photographic evidence for what RMP is on about, feel free to visit my gallery. My beach driving lesson cost me 9 grand, nobody hurt thankfully. I had read the threads here, googled, had my recovery gear, lowered the pressures and was tootling along at nice speed in low third. What happened was my wheels weren't set straight ahead and all of a sudden I got more front wheel grip and turned straight into a rock.

I'm not saying I'm not stupid I'm just saying I didn't know I was being stupid at the time. I wasn't cutting up full of grog and ten mates in the back, I was tootling and did a silly thing out of ignorance.