Interesting "conversation" with 4X4 driver last night!

[spindrift]

Tycoon's son who left toddler brain damaged in 70mph horror Range Rover crash jailed for 21 months

Power: Singh was driving a £57,000 Range Rover

Paralysed: Cerys Edwards, pictured before the accident


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...e+Rover+crash+jailed+for+21+months/article.do

 

[Arch]

I saw the latter bit of the program with the male driver. I might not of picked it up alright as I missed the most of it but it seemed like the police officer was going to let him with a written caution but the 4x4 driver continued to brake the law? In the end all charges were dropped because the driver had already been sent to jail for other offences.

No, I think, as I remember it, the guy who overtook on a solid line was given a fixed penalty notice, and went on his way, legally, but at the end they said something about it not going further because later he was in jail for other things including perjury? So that doesn't quite make sense. Maybe he tried to overturn the FPN later? I though he was a bit odd - too cheery for my liking in the circs. And for some reason surprised to find out that policecars have the equivalent of kiddie locks on the back doors! Or was that false naivety?

Whereas that guy pulled for doing over a tonne on the motorbike looked like he was going to cry.

 

[the reluctant cyclist]

BTW RC, I cycle up there whenever I bike it in now I've moved offices. If I was to be looking out for you, what should I look for?

Why a vision of loveliness on a bike of course!

Nah, really you look out for an arsey woman on a black trek road bike with mudguards (yeah yeah I know but they are soooo practical!) and an orange and grey decathlon jacket (I am on a budget) and a red (not so colour coordinated) backpack!

Although now it is getting a bit warm I always put the jacket around my waist. I wear a helmet too.

If you are still in any doubt I am the one who mutters under my breath a lot and is fantastic at the universal "tosser" sign too!!!!

 

[LLB]

Kevin Clinton, head of safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, says: “In the US, more than one third of fatal crashes with sports utility vehicles are rollovers. American safety organisations attribute this to their high centre of gravity and the likelihood of the roof being crushed during the rollover.” My car comes from America.

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article452795.ece


Owners of 4x4s are likely to bear the brunt of changes in the way car insurance is calculated.
Drivers of Range Rovers, BMW X5s and Toyota Land Cruisers and other socalled Chelsea Tractors are likely to have to pay hundreds of pounds more for comprehensive insurance under a new risk assessment scheme to be announced.
The changes are also likely to hit drivers of sporty diesels and even some mid-range hatchbacks. In future, insurance will be based on the likelihood of a car being damaged in a crash – or damaging another car – and the likely cost of repair. This could add hundreds of pounds to the typical comprehensive quote, currently about £800.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=437707&in_page_id=1770


Four-wheel-drive cars should carry health warnings to highlight the increased dangers they pose to pedestrians, doctors have said. They say the gas-guzzlers are more deadly than normal cars and should come with warnings similar to those found on cigarette packets.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...6&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true


Imperial College London found 4x4 drivers were four times more likely to use mobile phones than other drivers, while a third more shunned seat belts. The team, who observed 41,000 motorists, said those in 4x4s took more risks as they felt safer in their cars, the British Medical Journal reported.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5107708.stm

UK insurance industry figures from Churchill show that urban 4x4s are involved in 25% more accidents than saloon cars and do far more damage.[2] Admiral Insurance also recently released figures showing that 4x4 drivers are 27% more likely to be at fault in the event of an accident.

2. Safe bet for a bump, Mail on Sunday, 10 October 2004
3. Admiral Insurance, in Sunday Times, 10 July 2005

We don't drive American Barges based upon pickup trucks like the Dodge Ram over here Spinners, the assertion is irrelevant.

There was me thinking you despised the Daily Mail middle England mentality after your racist rant against the Gypsies

Anyway, you still take their word as gospel after all of the successful libel actions against them, most recently last month having to pay out £4 million to Sheldon G Adelson
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=daily+mail+libel&btnG=Google+Search&meta=


You still trust Churchill stats after reading this Bikebiz article


http://www.bikebiz.com/news/22375/PA-falls-for-wonky-survey-stats-on-bike-sales

Need I go on

 

[spindrift]

Which part of Imperial College's research is flawed?

And the insurance stats come from Admiral, not Churchill, you sad racist self-gratification artist.

 

[LLB]

Which part of Imperial College's research is flawed?

And the insurance stats come from Admiral, not Churchill, you sad racist self-gratification artist.

And what a poor job they did of it too

http://www.car-news.co.uk/industry/flimsy-anti-4x4-research-keeps-growing/news.aspx?item=699

Lets see if Admiral are a beacon of shining light in the Insurance world ?

Nope 3 out of 10 for quality from Admiral, I wouldn't want any vehicle of mine insured with them - bunch of cowboys

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews11381.html

 

[Maz]

Best not label all 4x4 drivers, eh? That's what some motorists do to us cyclists.

 

[spindrift]

Oh, I don't label all 4x4 drivers, just the crass knob ends who post smileys after a story about a little girl crippled by one.

 

[Milo]

Why oh why cant you stick to bunfights with this nonsense.

 

[LLB]

It's a pity that 4x4 drivers can't enjoy the environment without damaging it. Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.

What sort of comment is that ?. Are you aware of the extensive environmental damage being done by ramblers in the AONB in the Pennines which even the Ramblers association have acknowledged ?

Before you pass judgment, you need to understand what you are criticising so I won't label you in the way you have me.

That footage was taken on a specially constructed and licensed off road course near Marlborough. The farm owner runs it as a business and all sorts of organisations including the Environment Agency send their drivers there for specialist offroad training. It is actually a very small wood as shown in this link and not rainforest desecration you might imagine http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...2999,-1.708546&spn=0.005773,0.015235&t=h&z=16

When 4x4s are driven on the road they get criticism for being Chelsea Tractors. When they are driven off the road they get it again for destroying the environment (even when they are not).

Criticism where due, but this instance isn't it.

 

[LLB]

So, back on topic.

What would you say to the driver Linf?

I'd say exactly the same as you. The cyclist has every right to be there, so don't be such an impatient twat.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The down side of going offroad is you always end up damaging them on ledges, trees etc (hence the bullbar), even if it is huge fun.

It is indeed lots of fun. I used to do loads of green laning in Derbyshire, driving (of all things) a Citroen 2CV. They go anywhere, even with only two driven wheels. I regularly drove it home with the exhaust blowing and bits of the bodywork held on with self tapping screws and bits of string.

 

[LLB]

It is indeed lots of fun. I used to do loads of green laning in Derbyshire, driving (of all things) a Citroen 2CV. They go anywhere, even with only two driven wheels. I regularly drove it home with the exhaust blowing and bits of the bodywork held on with self tapping screws and bits of string.

There was a prog on sky a while back about a 2wd club which specialises in offroading. All the cars weigh about the same as a packet of crisps and they manhandle them out if they get stuck. The co driver was there to bounce up and down increase traction whilst the driver gave it the beans. 2CVs were amongst them.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The co driver was there to bounce up and down increase traction whilst the driver gave it the beans. 2CVs were amongst them.

I remember having to stand on a friend's front bumper while he tried to get his 2CV up the hill on the green lane at Taxall in Derbyshire. He'd popped one of the driveshafts out and the only way to get two wheel drive was to have as much weight as possible over the front end.
The best bit about off roading in 2CVs was the times we'd meet people in jacked up Land Rovers with winches, mud tyres and hi lift jacks on the same lane. They always looked so downcast when we got through the same stuff they did.

 

[Ronaldo]

It is indeed lots of fun. I used to do loads of green laning in Derbyshire, driving (of all things) a Citroen 2CV. They go anywhere, even with only two driven wheels. I regularly drove it home with the exhaust blowing and bits of the bodywork held on with self tapping screws and bits of string.

Yes these are great cars; have owned the same one for 30 years.
Designed by slide rule engineers they achieve high traction and like almost all "two wheel drive" cars have only one driven wheel at any given time.