Teewah Beach, Ocean Beach, Moreton Island, Stradbroke Island, Bribie Island and Fraser Island are all desirable locations for 4×4 holiday takers. This is due to the ability to drive on open beaches without a lot of restrictions. You are able to head onto the beach with your 4wd, camper trailer, caravan, or tent and spend a day, a week, a month.
Unfortunately, there are always a certain group of people who are trying to ruin this for us and future generations.
Every week we hear about a rollover (or two) that has occurred on the beaches, mainly due to hooning drivers and every so often, we hear that this behavior has resulted in a fatality.
Many of us who frequent these locations will be familiar with this hooning behaviour, and would also agree that majority of the vehicles involved are displaying a similar identifier…. The red or green ‘P Plate’.
Every time I head up the beach with my family, I witness P plate drivers performing donuts, driving dangerously over the sand dunes, speeding, drink driving and traveling dangerously on or in vehicles (ie: not wearing seat belts, sitting in the trays of utes, or hanging out windows). These drivers think they are invincible, and have the ‘it wont happen to me mentality’. Unfortunately, when they are driving like this, they are not only risking the lives of themselves, but the lives of every other beach goer, including our children!
For those of us who do the right thing, losing the ability to be able to enjoy a weekend on the beach with our families will be an absolute tragedy.
It is evident that something needs to be done to stop these hoons; however if suggestions aren’t made to local authorities, then this behaviour WILL get ALL vehicles banned from the beach.
“Research suggests that young drivers and riders, aged 16 to 24 years, are 60% more likely to be involved in a serious crash than licensed mature adult drivers and riders, aged 25 to 59 years”.
If this proposal is actioned by authorities, then relevant legislation changes would also need to be made to ensure that appropriate and severe penalties apply to those who blatantly disregard any changes.
If you want to protect our ability to enjoy this great state and the destinations that it has to offer, then I urge you to support this petition.
We fully support this petition. There are many open drivers guilty as well but we need to start somewhere to protect out beautiful beaches etc.
We don’t allow any drivers under the age of 24 to drive our 4×4 vehicle(s)
Dirk