to get fed up with receiving more than the average amount of abuse on the road just because I drive a range rover?

[Mrs4x4]

I get the whole environment thing psses some people off but this seems out of proportion with the abuse. I am a considerate driver and really object to the abuse especially when my DC's are in the car and people are swearing. Recently parked car in a supermarket carpark to have someone who lived in a nearby flat on one of the higher floor start shouting that i should get back in my RR and pss off.

i thought bull bars were illegal?

Are they really? Blimey you wouldn't know it, would you? Most of the 4x4's I see around here have bull bars. Hmm, if they're illegal, I'll report them. Who to though? DVLA?

No, you shouldn't be verbally abused for driving a car. You can be reasoned with or petitioned against for your choice but other people don't have the right to be rude, aggressive, threatening or carry out acts of vandalism - because they believe they have the moral high ground.

Is it only townies that can't park or reverse a 4x4 then? Or is it just a lazy stereotype? Everyone I know with a large estate, 4x4 or horsebox can drive perfectly well.

Just checked re the legality of bull bars and the situation appears to be this (with thanks to 'What Car?'):

There is currently a gentlemen's agreement among car manufacturers not to fit bull bars to new vehicles. This doesn't stop owners fitting bars to their cars at a later date.

Fom May 25 this year, it became illegal to fit bull bars unless they conform to stringent EU safety regulations (ie they are made from a flexible material). Distributors who continue to sell the old-style metal bull bars after this date will face imprisonment.

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any retrospective legislation re removal/replacement of the 'non flexible' type of bar on older vehicles.

Patsy

Thanks for that patsy, so there's no point reporting as they're probably all legal

bobsmum: The way I understand it you pay the congestion charge every time you drive into inner London.

err.not sure.

yanbu to not want shouting and abuse while dcs are in the car - but then why do you drive a 4X4?

are you a farmer?

perhaps you live really near a desert?

if there is a functional reason for using up that much petrol, then fine, but if not, in the words of Egg in the This Life 10 years on special, you might as well walk around with a placard saying 'I'm a selfish f*cker' as that is, really, what it amounts to.

'Pedestrianise the cities!!!'

I'm sure all the businesses in there who rely on deliveries or tradespeople to keep their buildings in good repair would love that!

And bring back the trams too!

Was ever so slightly tongue in cheek btw.

How's rural life suiting you anyway expat?

I killed another deer today (in my Ka incidentally so could've killed us first though) so not really enjoying country life today. That's 3 in 3 years of living here! How ironic that after berating my hideous old RR this afternoon, I could've actually done with it a couple of hours ago.

much better than city life, bobs .

we've noticed FAR fewer 4x4s now we live in a rural area .

another myth: if you live in the country, you need a 4x4.

erm, maybe if you live off an unpaved road or a farm or croft.

my poor dad got run over by a tram in the 50s.

the only real beef i have with 4x4s is when they are on the inside lane of a roundabout and they have to edge forwards so you cannot see oncoming traffic to the right. (though you can hide beside them). and their lights can blind you in the dark, as they're so high.

Agree expat - it depends on the roads. Our road surface is actually fine, but really badly maintained. Most normal cars are ok, but will trash their suspension over time, but it's not undriveable.

Our problem is flooding - not the country roads particularly. We were stuck in the house for 5 days last December because the loch ended up on the road.

But as I said, there are teeny 4x4s, like our Jimny which has off road gears, which will get us out when it happens again - even we do not need a tank like a RR to do that. Wading depth,height and 4x4 capability yes, but not massive width and bulk.

Last summer I saw a (very new) RR with STICK ON Dirt in Scarborough harbour.

It's rude to abuse you, especially when you have children with you. That said I think it's pretty loathsome to drive one of those things.

i don't understand why 4x4 drivers go really slowly over speed humps either. aren't they built for that sort of thing? (thinking of getting one as there are so many humps here)

that's true, bobs. most of the 4x4s i've seen round have been battered Land Rovers or the old, boxy style Jeep.

and they're actually dirty!

i had an old Nissan Pathfinder years ago when we lived off a paved road, and even then, we'd have to dig out of snow to get going or put the odd plank of wood under the wheels to get out of a rut.

Does anyone know the exact details of the proposed £25 a day charge for 4x4's in London? i.e. is it definitely coming in and if so when?

apparently it's been proven that people drive more recklessly in 4x4s. imo driving one of these things demonstrates an unpleasant f&ck you attitude.

hopefeully that £25 a day charge is coming in soon! the sooner the better .

Apart from anything else, it is, like so much else, a poverty issue - vast swathes of londoners, the poorest londoners, don't have cars, and need to rely on buses. WHen the cars clog up the roads, the buses take even longer, which adds to the unfairness of the situation, so i say bring on the bigger congestion charge and get everyone onto public transport.

You just need to look at places in scandinavia to see how fantastically it works.

In Denmark on the roads, cyclists have priority. In Ares in the south of france, there are miles and miles of dedictaed car free cycle lanes. you can almost TOUCH the fresh air!

Anyone who thinks public transport can cope with even more people might like to shadow my poor husband one morning on his journey to work.

I am very environmentally-oriented (real nappies, keen composter and recycler, rarely use a tumble drier, no 4X4, etc) but I am urging him to drive into work now and just give up on the trains, which are expensive, late-running, dirty and over-crowded.

The rise in the congestion charge for 4x4s was discussed in the last budget and from what I can remember it was a rise that was being proposed for the future.

well, i agree with you about public transport, eliza, but a 4x4 isn't a necessity for the most part.

So long as a car gets you from A to B why does it matter what you drive? For a lot of people what you drive is a status symbol - you only have to watch Top Gear (which is actually a programme I love) which clearly says what you drive indicates the sort of person you are. I don't care what I drive providing it is safe, doesn't let me down too often and cheap to run, hence why my car is 9yrs old and does the job perfectly well!

expat--I was responding to Olala's suggestion re. encouraging everyone's (ie 4x4 users and non-4x4 users) use of public transport.

chocolate dot the consultation finished last month and we are waiting for ken to make a decision- the congestion charge website will be a good place to check.