General Chat

Peter, next time you go to the supermarket, have a look at how many cars park across white lines taking up two spaces. I see this every week and, ok, i'm in a landrover, but am quite capable of parking between two lines. Dont just blame the 4x4 driver for bad parking because that's just nonsense, there's bad parking everywhere by all vehicles. It's not what you are driving, but how you drive it.

Don't be so bloody obtuse Len! at 3 in the morning in the pitch dark on a windy road in Wales ..... you don't expect to see a flock (and yes it was a whole flock) of sheep. Show's you're a townie! You drive according to road conditions! Good Night Sioux

No farmer would leave his gates open so that his livestock could stray. If drivers drove as if they expected stray animals - or children - to be in the road, day or night............ len

Lily Very glad to hear you can reverse ;~) Perhaps having passed your test 45 years ago, it would be a good idea to reaquaint yourself with the highway code, then you would be aware on the reversing law *tongue in cheek* In reply to your question, you have to put it into context. I believe the majority of urban 4x4's that never leave the city and being on the motorway is as close to off roading they get should NOT be fitted with bull bars. They're unneccessary. But, we DO have them fitted to our vehicle. It came with them fitted. Older vehicles can still have them but, I belive newer ones cannot. We were woken at 3 in the morning by a Policeman enquiring if the field of sheep next to the house were ours as some had got loose and a van had ploughed into, and killed 3 of them on the road next to us. The van driver was lucky to have kept control, but his vehicle was a right off. He had the inconvenience of interuption to his business etc, all because of some inconsiderate farmer not keeping his stock under control (and the farmer would have simply claimed on insurance Grr) The reason I tell this story is, as an example .... if he'd had bull bars, his vehicle would have survived. Same consequence and outcome for the farmer. There's a time and a use for every item, it doesn't mean an item will be used appropriately. All I can say is PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. If we were each as concerned about ourselves, as we are about everybody else, then there would be no need to be concerned about anybody else!!! Safe driving XX Sioux

I am fed up with people moaning about 4x4. I also live in a very rural area, have 2 very large dogs, son and his bike. I have driven big 4x4 before ie Range Rover and Terrano but now have a Subaru, its not much bigger than an estate car. Why should I have to pay more road tax. Yes I have a choice about where I live, what size dogs I have and whether son can take his bike out, but what does it matter to anyone else? I have driven off road before, but only on organised events, I don't go greenlaning either. Someone else mentioned sports cars - I agree, they can be more of a danger to pedestrians and road users, especially when driven by youngsters without the experience to handle such cars.

Sioux - how do you feel about 'bull' bars on the front of your vehicle? These can do terrible damage if in collision with a child.... Lily (forgot to mention this!)

I didn't know we should reverse into our drives, suspect a lot of others don't know either!! However, perhaps it is safer not to have the engine facing out towards the road, bearing in mind the stupid drunks wending their way home from the pub at night, who might just throw a lit match at the bonnet? And yes, I can reverse! Do it when I have a load of food shopping to unload....been driving 45 years, can do parallel parking too! Lily (bragging)

I don't have a 4WD and don't object to anyone else having one. I do reverse into my driveway though when given the opportunity (the man across the road has a big van and doesn't care where he parks it). My only objection to drivers of all vehicles is WHY DON'T YOU USE YOUR BL**DY INDICATORS. There I've said it and I feel better. Julie xxx

julie thankyou hun im sick to death of being moaned at because we have a nice car. what about all these people with sports cars,they are more of a danger than us. susie

Well said Susie. We also have one because we wanted one. Jxx

forgot to mention earlier hubbys range rover is gas converted so its cheaper to run than your so called proper cars. we dont use any more road space than any other cars so why should we be taxed more? we also,like souix,dont go off roading either,so i just wish these so called do-gooders would get a life and leave us 4x4 owners alone you chose your car and we have chosen ours!! susie

I can understand how these things P*** some people off ....but like everything else it should be up to freedom of choice, and safe driving boils down to personal reponsibility. We have a 4x4 as we live in a rural area. We've NEVER been off roading as a pleasure activity, out vehicle is simply in cases of neccessity. So why call to penalise us with a massive road tax bill through no fault of where we live? As a side note for Lilly, the highway code states it's illegal to reverse out onto a highway, so for your own safety I'd learn to reverse INTO your driveway, so you can exit safely if the gas guzzling, road hogging, school runners do happen to park either side of your gate. X Sioux

jayvee come here hun,let me give you a hug lol my hubby loves his he drives a van all week at work and so why shouldnt he drive around in comfort at the weekends? he doesnt feel superior at all when hes driving his,he is is usual normal self! susie

I drive a 4x4 and I make no apologies for it. I bought it with money honestly earned and I chose it simply because I like it.

Ann - when two 4x4's park either side of our gates (on a very busy road) it is almost impossible to reverse out safely. The drivers of these monsters have either gone to the nearby tram (and left their vehicles parked all day) or taken kids to school round the corner and will be back again at 3.0 pm! Yes, we do all have a choice as to what we drive BUT the feeling we owners of 'normal' cars have is that drivers of these monsters feel so superior, not helped by the fact that a lot round here are driven by leggy blondes (miaow...) or little, fat men who need to boost their egos! However, now that I am older and arthritic, I must admit it would be easier to get out of a monster truck! Lily

hubby drives a range rover! its his baby.he is a responsible driver and doesnt do what he wants in it. i think people should be able to drive what car they want. they are no more dangerous than any other car. its the drivers that are the danger!! because its a 'gas guzzler' hubby tends to drive slower!!! why cant people drive around in the car of their choice? surely its up to them. the world is full of so called do gooders.they ought to get a life instead of critisising others susie

Interesting to see this topic surface in the UK -just a few days ago, the same arguments surfaced here in Perth Western Australia after a mum on a school run killed a little five year old girl on the school grounds. Apparently, the child could not be seen from the 4WD. What I couldn't make out was why the vehicle was on the grounds at all -most schools have strict rules about where to drop off/ pick up children -and it is NOT in the school grounds. Beverley (who believes 4WDs were built for the bush, not the suburbs)

Maggie, i do not disagree with any of you on this thread,like i said, some of us are responsible owner/drivers who only go to pay and play sites...i can see why people complain tho...i saw a protest on the news recently, where the protestors were stopping 4wheel drive owners and asking why they owned such a vehicle when only doing school runs..and could see their point.. I'm in a club, a club of responsible Landrover owners, who just go to proper sites or organised events all over europe and, i would say, the majority of us are very concerned about the effect of these people who just have a 4x4 for road use only.A status symbol. Nick.

NIck, It's not meant to be personal :0) As with all things, the majority are branded by the minority! But there are some morons out there who assume they can go where they like, just because they can!!! I actually get taken to the Ridgeway etc by a friend who drives a Subaru Legacy - and he's as peed off about the state of the Ridgeway etc as me!! He lives on the New Forest and is a carpenter - a Fiesta couldn't cope with the weight of his tools!!!!! Having said that, he's only used the 4x4 bit once - trying to get out of a point to point. maggie

I drive a land rover and yes occasionally take the kids to school and do the shopping in it every week, but live in a rural area, where we get flooded out a lot. I occassionally go green laning on local lanes and know the farmers who's fields i have to cross and do it responsibly, not fast and never with more than 2 other vehicles. If we come across any walkers, we stop and allow them to walk by, before we carry on. They usually are very polite(most of them!) and we also go and tidy the lanes up and cut the hedges back and take the cuttings to the tip,all voluntarily. If i want to do serious 'off roading' i go to wales, to a 600 acre site and pay my money and have a good time. The land owner makes a tidy profit and the site is just for 4x4's and motorbikes. Its not a thing i brought to annoy anyone, i actually inherited my landrover off my stepdad, who was a farmer and like to use it for fun, but not out to damage anything or upset anyone. Nick.