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| # 9 Defending the four wheel drive |
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While on a recent road trip to the North Island, a question kept popping into my head
“Why does one man’s tools, become another man’s toys?”
As any farmer will tell you, 4wd’s are invaluable tools. But not everyone today is a farmer and the question asked lately is, “Why do all these dangerous, gas guzzling Townie tractors need to be on the road in the first place?”
When I bought my latest 4wd, I needed a station wagon on a four wheel drive chassis suitable as a new driver training vehicle, and a mobile office that would get me to the places I needed to go to.
My options were a Nissan Terrano, (because I like the bullet proof motor) or a Subaru station wagon (good vehicle, but often stolen).
Being a fat barstard, getting into and out of the lower station wagon would have annoyed me eventually, so I opted for the higher Terrano.
Being a three door model with big doors, allowed easy access for my size 12 boots and if you have ever had your boot stuck between the seat and the front pillar of the door on a double cab Ute and face planted into the asphalt just as your about to meet a new customer, you will know why I didn’t select this model.
So after much consideration I have ended up with a tool that exactly suits my business needs.
There are others out there, who see a 4wd as the perfect toy, something to take out of the garage on the weekend and have fun in. Perhaps they can only afford to have one vehicle, so need to drive it to work or the supermarket as well. There are still others who don’t really want to wreck their investment learning to use this invaluable tool and just drive it to work and the supermarket to look cool. Fair enough.
My Dad spent ten years of his life defending our freedom of choice, through one world war and one minor police action, so who are we to say that this person should not drive their vehicle of choice.
The answer to both questions then is “Because we live in a free democracy, we have the freedom to choose.” This then raises further, more important questions
“Are they really dangerous, gas guzzling monsters?”
Are they dangerous? They can be, in the hands of inexperienced drivers.
Are they gas guzzlers? They can be, in the hands of inexperienced drivers.
The solution then is obvious; get some top quality, fuel efficient, defensive, driver training if you wish to drive any thing bigger than roller skates. All vehicles are dangerous, gas guzzlers in the hands of an inexperienced driver.
But the most important question is “Who the hell are these people who wish to take away our right to a freedom of choice?”
No doubt the same scared little people the world over, who voluntarily man the PC police and try and impose their unrealistic opinions on others by whining the loudest. When this fails they sneak into positions of power, whether it is a government role or local committees and then make up silly rules the rest of us have to put up with. Scared little PC policepersons love power, but have no natural authority or Mana of their own, very much like young children. And as any decent parent will tell you, there comes a time in every child’s up bringing, when love is not enough and a smack on the backside is exactly the right lesson required.
So if you are a scared little PC policeperson who makes up silly rules and tries to impose them on the adults of the world by deceit or deception, be careful, there is a smack on the backside coming, that you will remember.
But then, we are not allowed to smack our children any more, are we.
However “that’s just an old trucker’s point of view”
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