Cruisers and hilux's

I don't know if anywhere else is like Townsville, but it seems that anyone who gets behind the wheel of a Toyota four wheel drive has to put their brain in the back seat. 95% of crappy dangerous and downright ignorant driving around this place can be represented by Toyota four wheel drives. Most of the time they sit between 80 - 90 kmh in the overtaking lane on the highway, very rarely indicate or look before changing lanes. Nearly all the tailgaters around here are in the same vehicles. Most of the stupid things I see on the road are done by these particular sub species, for example they will drive over traffic islands in front of traffic because they might have to wait 3 minutes in traffic, driving the wrong way up a turn off on a highway to turn up a side street rather than driving 300 meters to a roundabout and heading back up the highway. They will park in the middle of the road to go to the shop rather than parking in the car parks 4 meters away.
To top it all off when they run you off the road or cut you off and while you are trying to avoid the crushing of metal and hit the horn they hang out the window screaming abuse and making visual naughty symbols that I don't like my kids seeing, with stickers on their car that my wife would hit me if I said. Or they stare forward with no expression on their face and a flatline noise coming out of their ears

Now is it just Townsville or do any of you get the same problem?

Nope, that's Aus wide mate! Really gives me the sh*ts. But since I have a higher car than most city people and a front bar if someone does cut me off I just keep going and if I hit them then it's no big deal for me. Already happened twice to me!
Prado drivers are just as bad too! I don't see why people who live in the city need a big 4wd as a day to day kid run about car? Especially when 90% of them will never take their vehicles offroad or only once a year!
I haven't found it as bad in Perth, but in Geraldton (30,000km and 600km north of Perth) it is much worse. And if you don't drive anything other than a Toyota, Nissan, ute of sorts, Common*****(Commodore) or Falcon then your car is just a POS no matter what it is.
Most Nissan (Patrol) owners aren't usually as up themselves but there are some.

OutbackOiler said:

for example they will drive over traffic islands in front of traffic because they might have to wait 3 minutes in traffic

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I will say however that I personally do this. For example if I'm coming upto a set of lights and want to turn right, and there is room in the turning lane only but cars are banked up in the next lane(heading straight). I will drive up the curb and go over the grass, pavement or what ever to get up there rather than wait another 5+ minutes for the lights to go through their sequence again. I do this a couple of times a day nearly every day, I see that as part of having a higher car than your standard 2WD car.

I didn't mean along the island, I mean over the island into oncoming traffic and shooting down a side street with cars screeching to a halt to avoid hitting the mongrel, or cutting across the gully on the highway and pulling out in front of the oncoming traffic at 100kmh, and we all know how peppy non turbo cruisers are

Ah alright, that's just darn right stupid. They are definitely worse there and here!

Saw a guy in a Lardcurser towing a trailer do this at the lights behind me yesterday, straight out in front of 3 lanes of traffic.

This state has, with out a doubt, the worst drivers in the country. I'm almost ashamed to say I'm from Perth.

Sounds like a description of normal everyday behaviour on Australian roads everywhere to me. Experience tells me Townsville doesn't have a monopoly claim to the ignorant "cowboy" culture even if they did name their footy team after them. :iconwink:

I know we don't have the monopoly, I'm just saying we can usually tell who they are due to the fact they are driving Toyota 4wd's. I will say that if we had as much traffic as in the cities there would be an extremely high casualty rate in Townsville. I got run off the road yesterday by a hilux, he was stopped in one lane, I was approaching in the other at around 50kph and he just pulled across in front of me, btw the abs is very good in foresters.

Yes they are everywhere, unfortunately

I struck a couple like that today, while on my way back home along the M4

Regards
Mr Turbo

Hey now...I drive a Toyota 4x4 and don't drive like that at all.

Around here it's more the big, lifted, American trucks that behave like that, but then again, I am on the opposite side of the planet.:iconwink:

Very true Carl :iconwink:

I saw a Hilux do exactly as posted above in the city today

Consider yourself lucky. Around here it's... everyone. There's no age, race, origin or car to be a crappy driver. Everyone can drive like a f*cktard

More seriously, usually the fancier the car is, the more dangerous the driver is (ie: Dodge Vipers, Porches, or on the other end of the spectrum, Civic ricers, all behave like they're on a track).

Hadn't really thouht about this until pointed out here - but, hey, you're right.