Boy Killed, 4WDs blamed
THE death of a 3-year-old boy, killed by a modified 4WD on an ordinary suburban street, has prompted calls from road safety experts for an immediate ban on the vehicles.
The death is tragic and the News.com article stupid and misleading.
There is no suggestion the driver of the 4WD did anything wrong, police have laid no charges, and the boy ran in front of the traffic.So the journalist leads with “Calls to ban ‘killer’ 4WDs”. This has no relevance until I read “Calls to ban Trucks” or “Calls to ban Holden utes” or “Calls to ban Camrys” after similar incidents. Doesn’t happen though. Road Safety Experts quoted turns out to be one Monash Uni Lecturer.
President of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Associate Professor Raphael Grzebieta, said driving a raised 4WD was akin to driving a small truck or piece of machinery.The you should be calling for a ban on light trucks as well. Why don’t you, Raphael?
“You can’t see anyone underneath you when they are close to the vehicle and they have their blindspots like small trucks and machinery,” the Monash University civil engineering lecturer said.So do some cars, mate. Raphael Grzebieta has a bee in his bonnet about 4WDs with jacked up suspension and the journalist, Lillian Saleh, has used this to get her article carried. Poor reporting in my book.
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First the guns, then fishing was in danger, now 4wd’s … I see whats coming … a ban on blokes!
Every time someone gets killed by a 4WD in an urban area the same cry goes up, ‘Ban 4WDs’. As someone who drives a 4WD for work purposes it fair drives me nuts. Much of the time I suspect it’s the green eyed monster disguised as opportunist concern for safety and the environment. I’m very surprised they didn’t use the words ‘monster truck’.
I often make a point of giving way to oncoming cars in a narrow stretch of raod etc just to try and improve peoples perception of 4wd’s – and guess what, hardly anyone ever waves a thanks!