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Signed up- here's my diatribe:
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
As a scientist I am sceptical about some of the widely accepted mechanisms behind climate change. I find that most people still fail to understand that there are MUCH LARGER FORCES at work than the small impact the activites of Man have on climate change. Ice ages and searing deserts- it's all happened before and will all happen again. Swaping over all 4x4's averaging 25mpg to some other 2x4 car which does 33mpg will have minimal effect. For comparison- the Sun's output energy can vary by Trillions of Watts on a day-to-day basis and even more long term. Now that REALLY CAN change our planet's temperature somewhat. We should not deliberately pollute our planet but we should also be realistic about how much difference having 2x4 or 4x4 transmission makes! Vehicles with 4x4 transmissons are no more (or less) polluting than any other large car- so why single them out?
SAFETY & ACCIDENTS
To be struck by any kind of vehicle is unsafe. My poor Gran had her wrist broken by a cyclist on the pavement. Should we ban bikes? Let's take this particular agument to it's LOGICAL CONCLUSION- we should all stay in bed because it's safer!
Offroad vehicles (one's with proper chassis construction) are designed to be strong. It is MY CHOICE to drive MY FAMILLY in what I believe is a better car should it ever 'come to the crunch' (God forbid). Why would I want drive my familly around in something I regard as 'less safe'? Feel free to drive YOUR FAMILLY around in YOUR NCAP 5 'supermini' if YOU like- but I'll stick to MY car thanks.
DO I REALLY NEED A 4x4?
No- I would survive without one. But I would still need an equally large car to transport my familly, tow my boat & caravan (not at the same time). A 4x4 is useful to pull other helpless motorists out of the floods, ditches and the snow we get round here from time-to-time (must be the Global Warming....). I'm also a recreational 4x4 user and like to use unsurfaced country roads and designated offroad driving sites (assuming the Anti's don't ban these activities next of course).
The huge load space is great for tranporting things: fridges, cement mixers, cement, sand, 1/2 tonne loads of logs, chainsaws, mowers, dogs, outboard engines, fence posts, rocks, slabs, scaffolding, gas bottles, 25 foot lengths of timber, pulling up tree stumps etc.(try and do all that with a Ford Focus!). Yes-I've also been seen shopping at Tesco in it and have even dropped the kids off at school- shock horror!
CHOICE
I don't dictate to other people what they should or should not drive. Neither should ill-informed people, with non-scientific arguments tell me what to do.
My car (a Toyota Surf) is a part-time, selectable 4 wheel drive. Therefore, like many "4x4's", it is actually a 'two wheel drive' car when driven on roads anyway. Conversly many outwardly 'normal' looking saloon/estate cars are really full-time 4x4's. How can you legislate for that? Just what exactly are the anti 4x4 loby against?
Nevillef
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
As a scientist I am sceptical about some of the widely accepted mechanisms behind climate change. I find that most people still fail to understand that there are MUCH LARGER FORCES at work than the small impact the activites of Man have on climate change. Ice ages and searing deserts- it's all happened before and will all happen again. Swaping over all 4x4's averaging 25mpg to some other 2x4 car which does 33mpg will have minimal effect. For comparison- the Sun's output energy can vary by Trillions of Watts on a day-to-day basis and even more long term. Now that REALLY CAN change our planet's temperature somewhat. We should not deliberately pollute our planet but we should also be realistic about how much difference having 2x4 or 4x4 transmission makes! Vehicles with 4x4 transmissons are no more (or less) polluting than any other large car- so why single them out?
SAFETY & ACCIDENTS
To be struck by any kind of vehicle is unsafe. My poor Gran had her wrist broken by a cyclist on the pavement. Should we ban bikes? Let's take this particular agument to it's LOGICAL CONCLUSION- we should all stay in bed because it's safer!
Offroad vehicles (one's with proper chassis construction) are designed to be strong. It is MY CHOICE to drive MY FAMILLY in what I believe is a better car should it ever 'come to the crunch' (God forbid). Why would I want drive my familly around in something I regard as 'less safe'? Feel free to drive YOUR FAMILLY around in YOUR NCAP 5 'supermini' if YOU like- but I'll stick to MY car thanks.
DO I REALLY NEED A 4x4?
No- I would survive without one. But I would still need an equally large car to transport my familly, tow my boat & caravan (not at the same time). A 4x4 is useful to pull other helpless motorists out of the floods, ditches and the snow we get round here from time-to-time (must be the Global Warming....). I'm also a recreational 4x4 user and like to use unsurfaced country roads and designated offroad driving sites (assuming the Anti's don't ban these activities next of course).
The huge load space is great for tranporting things: fridges, cement mixers, cement, sand, 1/2 tonne loads of logs, chainsaws, mowers, dogs, outboard engines, fence posts, rocks, slabs, scaffolding, gas bottles, 25 foot lengths of timber, pulling up tree stumps etc.(try and do all that with a Ford Focus!). Yes-I've also been seen shopping at Tesco in it and have even dropped the kids off at school- shock horror!
CHOICE
I don't dictate to other people what they should or should not drive. Neither should ill-informed people, with non-scientific arguments tell me what to do.
My car (a Toyota Surf) is a part-time, selectable 4 wheel drive. Therefore, like many "4x4's", it is actually a 'two wheel drive' car when driven on roads anyway. Conversly many outwardly 'normal' looking saloon/estate cars are really full-time 4x4's. How can you legislate for that? Just what exactly are the anti 4x4 loby against?
Nevillef
Lifes for smileing at! 
A positive attitude wont solve all your problems but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort! 
Nil Illigitimi Carborundum
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