Man killed driving on Port Stephens beach

[TheTaipan]

A 22-year-old French national has died and his two passengers, also from France, have been injured after their four-wheel drive rolled on a beach in Port Stephens.

The trio were travelling in a 4WD Mitsubishi wagon along the waterline at Samurai Beach, Anna Bay, around 7.20pm (AEDT) on Monday when the vehicle rolled several times, police said.

The driver was killed and his passengers, aged 24 and 30, received cuts and bruising.

Police say the driver is yet to be formally identified and the car has been taken for forensic examination.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8220869

My heart goes out to his family but when will authorities here bring in regulations for overseas tourists and four wheel drives.

[Goodsy]

My heart goes out to his family but when will authorities here bring in regulations for overseas tourists and four wheel drives.

For that to happen we would have to have a four wheel drive licence on top
of our car licence.

Cannot see it happening. But it would save lives.

[Stevie-Ray]

Agree!

For that to happen we would have to have a four wheel drive licence on top
of our car licence.

Cannot see it happening. But it would save lives.

This tragedy reminds me of an incident that was shown on that NZ accident-investigation TV show where a tourist was killed when a Pajero was proven to be driven too fast along a North Island beach & rolled when the front outside tyre dug-in as it turned on the wet sand.
I'm with you on the idea of training & a special endorsement added to licence for someone to drive a 4WD just as you need training to drive a med-size bus or truck (LR licence). What I find bizarre is that you aren't required to do any extra training if you wish to tow a caravan that can be as long as a Coaster bus.

Steve

[sharkcaver]

but when will authorities here bring in regulations for overseas tourists and four wheel drives.

You cant legislate against either a lack of experience or stupidity.

How do you propose this is done?

Shane.

[Aussie_Dan]

What is the bet that they were NOT wearing seat belts?
This may sound harsh but if they weren't wearing seatbelts, they deserve what they got.
If this is the case, lets just hope that further restrictions are not placed on the people that do the right thing in areas like this.....
Dan.

[Zed]

I came across a few back packers last year on the beach near hawks nest (bout 10km nth of this one as the crow flys), they where 100m onto the beach from the access and bogged to the diffs,
it was about 6pm and not really any more 4wds on the beach, when I asked about tyre pressures they couldn't even work out what I was talking about, grabbed my tyre gauge and the troopies tyres they were driving were at 60psi
I then proceeded to reduce them to 25psi (didn't want to let any more out as they probably wouldn't pump them up again) and drove it straight out,
I was scared and left

[TheTaipan]

You cant legislate against either a lack of experience or stupidity.

How do you propose this is done?

Shane.

Buggered if I know mate but if something isn't done the powers that be will try and ban beach driving.

[Faereag]

Guys - | agree with your intent, but as someone who works in legislative services, I must point out that proposals that are well constructed in the first instance, often get hijacked by minority groups/naive do-gooders as the bills go through public discussion stages and then face Lower/Upper Houses (not you Qld) and finally In Committee.

What you end up in order to appease all parties can be unrecognizable legislation that government's often do not have the resources to enforce and fail to acheive their target at great cost.

Sometimes a voluntary/mandatory code of conduct can achieve a semblance of the desired outcome, but in the end, you are at the mercy of plain ordinary human beings and you cannot protect all of us from ourselves.