My “Wreck of the Week’ series shows a bunch of old and not so old cars. Some have just stopped but others have been involved in pretty horrible accidents
This week past week in both the NT and WA there have been single vehicle rollovers in four wheel drive vehicles.
This rollover reported on the ABC website (pic from abc.net.au) has led to a German tourist being charged with driving a motor vehicle causing serious harm with his two travelling companions suffering critical injuries.
Closer to (my) home on the Great Central Road, the major road (which is a dirt road) crossing central Australia from Kalgoorlie to Uluru, a car of young teachers on their way out to their remote school overturned their troopie killing one of the teachers.
Having worked and travelled throughout remote Australia I have seen more than my share of vehicles come to grief from a rollover. I don’t know te circumstances of the two accidents mentioned here but all others I have attended have had the same words:
“I wasn’t speeding”
You don’t have to be speeding. The speed limit is the maximum speed you can go if the conditions are perfect. My reply has always been “you drive to the conditions and your experience. If you have rolled then you were going too fast”
Four wheel drives are top heavy and handle quite differently to other cars. They also handle quite differently when in the rough stuff compared to the bitumen. Drive within your real level of experience, not how good you think you are and if you only drive bush now and then then lock in the hubs and keep it in four wheel drive.
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