'Deathtrap' utes

Billy · 03-01-2007, 15:54

'Deathtrap' utes top list for fatal crashes

UTES are potential deathtraps, with official figures showing they are 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident in Victoria than any other car.
They are also twice as likely to be in a crash in which someone is seriously injured, Transport Accident Commission figures show.
The number of registered utes in Victoria last year was 195,586, compared with 174,938 in 2004.

This means utes make up about 4.5 per cent of the state's registered cars but, according to TAC general manager of road safety David Healy, they are involved on average in 15 per cent of fatal accidents and 10 per cent of serious injury accidents.

Mr Healy said there was no breakdown of the figures — taken from police reports at crash scenes — to show what types of utes were involved.
When asked if he believed accidents were more likely to involve the low-slung, high-performance models rather than the older utes used by tradesmen and farmers, he said such data was unfortunately not available.

Mr Healy said police accident reports were usually very basic and did not include specific information on the types of utes involved.
He said there were four main reasons why utes had such a high accident rate:

■They did not have the same level of safety features as other cars.
■They attracted young men often willing to take more risks when behind the wheel.
■They were work vehicles so were on the road more often than the average car.
■Many were driven in the country, where there were higher speed zones and a greater risk of losing control.

Mr Healy said recent independent crash tests revealed two of the most popular utes on the market — the 2001 and upwards models of the Ford Courier 4x4 (also sold as the Mazda Bravo), and the 2002-2005 model Mitsubishi Triton 4x2 — were found to provide poor protection for occupants.

All utes tested also performed poorly for pedestrian impact protection, with a lack of crumpling space under the bonnet.

Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi disputed the crash-test findings and denied their utes were unsafe.

But Mr Healy told The Sunday Age: "I suspect that if we look back historically, the ute will be relatively underdone in safety terms compared with their sedan counterparts. So when a crash happens, the likelihood is it will offer less protection to the occupant, which means there's a greater likelihood of death or serious injury occurring."

Mr Healy said young men liked hooning around in utes because they symbolised the single, carefree lifestyle.

"You haven't got space for kids in the back, you're a free agent, and the surfboard or anything you're toting around can sit in the back, so that may be part of the attraction," he said.

RACV chief vehicles engineer Michael Case said the percentage of utes involved in fatal accidents was "probably a higher proportion than most people would expect".

"It's probably more significant an issue than many people would have anticipated," Mr Case said.

Monash University Accident Research Centre spokesman Dr Stuart Newstead said there was anecdotal evidence that more young men were buying souped-up utes instead of other high-powered cars.

One in every seven new cars sold in Australia is a ute with the most popular model, the Toyota Hilux, selling almost 3000 a month.

"For relatively small money you can get a ute with a big V8 engine up front and use that to whatever effect that you want," Dr Newstead said.
"There's always going to be an opportunity for these people to get hold of a vehicle that has substantial performance and use it to bad effect.
"Whatever's popular is popular but it's fundamentally the behaviour of drivers we have to try to curb.

"We had a rash of serious crashes with Subaru WRXs for a while and people asked is the WRX the problem. So is the ute the problem now and tomorrow will it be something else? I mean, whatever tool you give them, the behaviour persists."

Mr Healy said young men liked hooning around in utes because they symbolised the single, carefree lifestyle.

"You haven't got space for kids in the back, you're a free agent, and the surfboard or anything you're toting around can sit in the back, so that may be part of the attraction," he said.

RACV chief vehicles engineer Michael Case said the percentage of utes involved in fatal accidents was "probably a higher proportion than most people would expect".

"It's probably more significant an issue than many people would have anticipated," Mr Case said.

Monash University Accident Research Centre spokesman Dr Stuart Newstead said there was anecdotal evidence that more young men were buying souped-up utes instead of other high-powered cars.

One in every seven new cars sold in Australia is a ute with the most popular model, the Toyota Hilux, selling almost 3000 a month.

"For relatively small money you can get a ute with a big V8 engine up front and use that to whatever effect that you want," Dr Newstead said.

"There's always going to be an opportunity for these people to get hold of a vehicle that has substantial performance and use it to bad effect.

"Whatever's popular is popular but it's fundamentally the behaviour of drivers we have to try to curb.

"We had a rash of serious crashes with Subaru WRXs for a while and people asked is the WRX the problem. So is the ute the problem now and tomorrow will it be something else? I mean, whatever tool you give them, the behaviour persists."

TRAIL OF CARNAGE

RECENT fatalities involving utes in Victoria:
■Two men killed and a woman injured on July 10 when their late-model ute ran off the road and hit a tree at Glenorch, near Stawell.

■Two sisters killed on May 29 at Korumburra, in South Gippsland, when a ute hit them while they were walking home from a 21st birthday party. One of the
victims' daughters also suffered two broken legs.

■Two men killed on May 23 after a truck and a ute collided on the Princes Highway, near Heywood, in the state's south-west.

■Two men killed on May 8 when their ute burst into flames after crashing into another car on the Princes Highway at Cudgee, east of Warrnambool.

■A man killed on May 8 after his ute slammed into a tree just south of Yarrawonga, northern Victoria.

■A man killed on March 28 after a Toyota 4WD and a Toyota ute crashed head-on on Swansea Road, Montrose.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...11.html?page=2

Photo Courtesy: Jady

BeautUtes

tonk · 03-01-2007, 16:30

i had a friend named Levi from swan hill, victoria who was killed in his own ute! his bullbar was too big for his ute and when he crashed the bullbar was forced up and the bar killed him. i think bullbar rules are necessary, but not so that you have to have a bar that looks like my grandads bar. i had a bullbar built by argweld in wagga wagga, they made it big and reinforced, but they made it weighed and measured to my ute! i have seen people with truck bullbars on their utes ( my bro had one ) and they cant even fit a coke can under em. i would hate to be hit by a bar like that and get dragged 500 metres up the road because the low bar trapped my leg or something, or for someone i love to have that happen to them. i dont think banning bullbars or making it that you can only have factory bars is a solution to the problem, i think mabie if we take responsibility for our bars ourselves and made them a reasonable size, that would solve all problems with police and the way people look at utes and the uters that own em. i am not a wowser or fun buster but i am a person and a uter that resents peoples sneers and the way they call us friggers or our utes frigger utes just because some people cant control themselves when it comes to getting a bar for their ute.

Panas · 03-01-2007, 16:38

It's not the ute that is the problem but the dickhead behind the wheel that does not know their own limits. They go out and drive to fast for the road conditions and their level of experience, then something happens and it is good night the fox. I belive it is about time that the relevent authorities spent more time and effort in education and training programs rather than blame the make of vehicle, power ect.

bundychick · 03-01-2007, 16:54

looking at that most of those fatalities would have had the same results if it was a sedan instead of a ute.
the front ends of most model utes are exactly the same as a sedan the only changes that manufactures make is a different rear end a stronger chasis to prevent warping if it has a high torque output.
i have to admit that if you put somone who has only ever driven sedans in a ute they kick it out a few times because they are used to having weight over the rear wheels.
i think that utes are no more dangerous than high powered sedans 4x4's or sports coupes it all comes down to the person behind the wheel

BeautUtes

PaulyBoi · 03-01-2007, 17:01

I think it all comes down to driver educations as Panas said, there isnt enough of it in schools it should be a compulsary subject. We had driver training programs at school, but that was only if you selected a mechanical subject or engineering, it shouldve been thru the whole school.

As for v8 engines and all that shit they mean nothing, it all comes down to the wanker behind the wheel and the limits people wanna push their cars.

cb205 · 04-01-2007, 17:15

Geez these 'reports' make me laugh,
The people who write them have never seen a minor accident,let alone a fatal, and they try and tell people who see accidents as part of their job what happens.

Than they put these ads on TV that are nothing like real crashes.

It seems every week they attack a different vehicle - first its 4WD's than its large sedans, now its utes.

Why dont these people (the ones who write this shit) get a life, and a bit of insight into what really happens at a crash wouldnt hurt either

Anyway - thats my whinge
cheers
steve

tonk · 05-01-2007, 00:53

instead of banning bullbars, why dont they ban drink drivers from driving ever again? i know the subject is a little different but shit! i have seen people drive when they can even say their own name and then you take their keys and your the biggest ass in the world. i knew a woman who's ucle was a repeated drink driver from victoria, he had killed one person and incited a fatal accident while drink driving, he has had his license taken from him about a dozen times and he has been to court in bendigo that many times they need to build him a house out back. he still has never spent any time in jail! he has been in the tank and in the watchhouse but never sent to prison. how can this be? i dont blame the police, as they are the ones that keep busting him. I think the courts and the do gooders need to realise that after so many offences he doesnt deserve a second chance. a hard luck story about how bad your life is or was when your a kid, has no bearing on your repeated stupidity behind the wheel. i have been pulled and pushed regarding my old ute( the femmeferal ) and was put off the road once. i was forever getting pulled over for breatho's and lisence checks ( when i had all my tooheys sponsor stickers on the ute was when it was the worst ) and random rego checks. i have had my ute on the side on the road being searched for drugs or paraphenalia, stolen goods and illegal accessories. while an hour before i was behind someone who thought they were in america and drove on the right hand side of the road. please! just because i own a ute doesnt mean i am part of some large crime syndicate. I think the powers that be need to get their priorities right! dont pick on my stickers and go pick on the constant stream of drink/drivers drivers.

wraithe · 05-01-2007, 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb205

Geez these 'reports' make me laugh,
The people who write them have never seen a minor accident,let alone a fatal, and they try and tell people who see accidents as part of their job what happens.

Than they put these ads on TV that are nothing like real crashes.

It seems every week they attack a different vehicle - first its 4WD's than its large sedans, now its utes.

Why dont these people (the ones who write this shit) get a life, and a bit of insight into what really happens at a crash wouldnt hurt either

Anyway - thats my whinge
cheers
steve

Well said Steve....

But they need the votes, and have to pick on a minority group to get them...lol...

Really tho, it dont matter what type of vehicle, if ppl are going to do something stupid and dangerous, they will even use a bicycle, so what needs to be done...? well that cant be answered easily, but i spose making people not so complacent about driving, wether its a ute, car, bike or truck...

BeautUtes

dirt settlers · 12-07-2007, 16:23

I don't think Holden would have made a VZ SS Ute less safe than the VZ SS sedan. I own, well paying off, a 2007 VZ SS Ute. It looks just like the sedan, except for the back. I'm sure all the safety features have been built into it...but I'm not going to try and do the cars top speed.

A lot of drivers don’t understand the environment and terrain that they are driving in or become complaisant within their familiar surroundings; it doesn’t matter if you are in a Ute or Sedan.
On a racetrack there are no lamp-poles or trees or the numerous other obstacles, and the cars are built and designed for the racing track environment. Trying to emulate what the Bathurst drivers do out in the street is a recipe for disaster; but I guess a hoon is a hoon with no regard for other road users. I used to drive for a living and saw my share of dick-heads.

Know your car and its limits and pay special attention to the environment and you shouldn’t have a problem.

In a controlled situation, like on the farm, I do like doing doughnuts and figure 8s.

03-01-2007, 15:54	#1 (permalink)
Billy Status: BeautUtes.com est. 2004 Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dumbleyung! Posts: 8,127 Rep Power: 10	'Deathtrap' utes 'Deathtrap' utes top list for fatal crashes UTES are potential deathtraps, with official figures showing they are 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident in Victoria than any other car. They are also twice as likely to be in a crash in which someone is seriously injured, Transport Accident Commission figures show. The number of registered utes in Victoria last year was 195,586, compared with 174,938 in 2004. This means utes make up about 4.5 per cent of the state's registered cars but, according to TAC general manager of road safety David Healy, they are involved on average in 15 per cent of fatal accidents and 10 per cent of serious injury accidents. Mr Healy said there was no breakdown of the figures — taken from police reports at crash scenes — to show what types of utes were involved. When asked if he believed accidents were more likely to involve the low-slung, high-performance models rather than the older utes used by tradesmen and farmers, he said such data was unfortunately not available. Mr Healy said police accident reports were usually very basic and did not include specific information on the types of utes involved. He said there were four main reasons why utes had such a high accident rate: ■They did not have the same level of safety features as other cars. ■They attracted young men often willing to take more risks when behind the wheel. ■They were work vehicles so were on the road more often than the average car. ■Many were driven in the country, where there were higher speed zones and a greater risk of losing control. Mr Healy said recent independent crash tests revealed two of the most popular utes on the market — the 2001 and upwards models of the Ford Courier 4x4 (also sold as the Mazda Bravo), and the 2002-2005 model Mitsubishi Triton 4x2 — were found to provide poor protection for occupants. All utes tested also performed poorly for pedestrian impact protection, with a lack of crumpling space under the bonnet. Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi disputed the crash-test findings and denied their utes were unsafe. But Mr Healy told The Sunday Age: "I suspect that if we look back historically, the ute will be relatively underdone in safety terms compared with their sedan counterparts. So when a crash happens, the likelihood is it will offer less protection to the occupant, which means there's a greater likelihood of death or serious injury occurring." Mr Healy said young men liked hooning around in utes because they symbolised the single, carefree lifestyle. "You haven't got space for kids in the back, you're a free agent, and the surfboard or anything you're toting around can sit in the back, so that may be part of the attraction," he said. RACV chief vehicles engineer Michael Case said the percentage of utes involved in fatal accidents was "probably a higher proportion than most people would expect". "It's probably more significant an issue than many people would have anticipated," Mr Case said. Monash University Accident Research Centre spokesman Dr Stuart Newstead said there was anecdotal evidence that more young men were buying souped-up utes instead of other high-powered cars. One in every seven new cars sold in Australia is a ute with the most popular model, the Toyota Hilux, selling almost 3000 a month. "For relatively small money you can get a ute with a big V8 engine up front and use that to whatever effect that you want," Dr Newstead said. "There's always going to be an opportunity for these people to get hold of a vehicle that has substantial performance and use it to bad effect. "Whatever's popular is popular but it's fundamentally the behaviour of drivers we have to try to curb. "We had a rash of serious crashes with Subaru WRXs for a while and people asked is the WRX the problem. So is the ute the problem now and tomorrow will it be something else? I mean, whatever tool you give them, the behaviour persists." Mr Healy said young men liked hooning around in utes because they symbolised the single, carefree lifestyle. "You haven't got space for kids in the back, you're a free agent, and the surfboard or anything you're toting around can sit in the back, so that may be part of the attraction," he said. RACV chief vehicles engineer Michael Case said the percentage of utes involved in fatal accidents was "probably a higher proportion than most people would expect". "It's probably more significant an issue than many people would have anticipated," Mr Case said. Monash University Accident Research Centre spokesman Dr Stuart Newstead said there was anecdotal evidence that more young men were buying souped-up utes instead of other high-powered cars. One in every seven new cars sold in Australia is a ute with the most popular model, the Toyota Hilux, selling almost 3000 a month. "For relatively small money you can get a ute with a big V8 engine up front and use that to whatever effect that you want," Dr Newstead said. "There's always going to be an opportunity for these people to get hold of a vehicle that has substantial performance and use it to bad effect. "Whatever's popular is popular but it's fundamentally the behaviour of drivers we have to try to curb. "We had a rash of serious crashes with Subaru WRXs for a while and people asked is the WRX the problem. So is the ute the problem now and tomorrow will it be something else? I mean, whatever tool you give them, the behaviour persists." TRAIL OF CARNAGE RECENT fatalities involving utes in Victoria: ■Two men killed and a woman injured on July 10 when their late-model ute ran off the road and hit a tree at Glenorch, near Stawell. ■Two sisters killed on May 29 at Korumburra, in South Gippsland, when a ute hit them while they were walking home from a 21st birthday party. One of the victims' daughters also suffered two broken legs. ■Two men killed on May 23 after a truck and a ute collided on the Princes Highway, near Heywood, in the state's south-west. ■Two men killed on May 8 when their ute burst into flames after crashing into another car on the Princes Highway at Cudgee, east of Warrnambool. ■A man killed on May 8 after his ute slammed into a tree just south of Yarrawonga, northern Victoria. ■A man killed on March 28 after a Toyota 4WD and a Toyota ute crashed head-on on Swansea Road, Montrose. http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...11.html?page=2 Photo Courtesy: Jady __________________ Rural Classifieds \| AFL Gear \| Motocross \| V8s \| Bush Swags\| Western Australia\| Utes \| Depression Forum

03-01-2007, 16:30	#2 (permalink)
tonk Status: Feral Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: maitland Posts: 167 Rep Power: 3	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes i had a friend named Levi from swan hill, victoria who was killed in his own ute! his bullbar was too big for his ute and when he crashed the bullbar was forced up and the bar killed him. i think bullbar rules are necessary, but not so that you have to have a bar that looks like my grandads bar. i had a bullbar built by argweld in wagga wagga, they made it big and reinforced, but they made it weighed and measured to my ute! i have seen people with truck bullbars on their utes ( my bro had one ) and they cant even fit a coke can under em. i would hate to be hit by a bar like that and get dragged 500 metres up the road because the low bar trapped my leg or something, or for someone i love to have that happen to them. i dont think banning bullbars or making it that you can only have factory bars is a solution to the problem, i think mabie if we take responsibility for our bars ourselves and made them a reasonable size, that would solve all problems with police and the way people look at utes and the uters that own em. i am not a wowser or fun buster but i am a person and a uter that resents peoples sneers and the way they call us friggers or our utes frigger utes just because some people cant control themselves when it comes to getting a bar for their ute.

03-01-2007, 16:38	#3 (permalink)
Panas Status: September 2006 Best One Tonner Ute Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Carramar Posts: 107 Rep Power: 3	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes It's not the ute that is the problem but the dickhead behind the wheel that does not know their own limits. They go out and drive to fast for the road conditions and their level of experience, then something happens and it is good night the fox. I belive it is about time that the relevent authorities spent more time and effort in education and training programs rather than blame the make of vehicle, power ect. __________________ "He who only sees the obvious, wins his battles with difficulty; he who looks below the surface of things, wins with ease. -- Sun Tzu" www.nationalremovals.com.au

03-01-2007, 16:54	#4 (permalink)
bundychick Status: Feral Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: bendigo euroa melbourne not sure yet Posts: 64 Rep Power: 2	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes looking at that most of those fatalities would have had the same results if it was a sedan instead of a ute. the front ends of most model utes are exactly the same as a sedan the only changes that manufactures make is a different rear end a stronger chasis to prevent warping if it has a high torque output. i have to admit that if you put somone who has only ever driven sedans in a ute they kick it out a few times because they are used to having weight over the rear wheels. i think that utes are no more dangerous than high powered sedans 4x4's or sports coupes it all comes down to the person behind the wheel __________________ IF YOUR LOOKIN FOR ME TOMMORA MORNIN ILL BE GONE IF YOU THINK ILL NEVA LEAVE WITHOUT A WARNIN YOU'D BE WRONG IM A GIRL ON THE RUN AND IM RUNNIN FOR MY LIFE DONT COME LOOKIN HERE IF YA LOOKIN 4 A WIFE COS ILL BE GONE

03-01-2007, 17:01	#5 (permalink)
PaulyBoi Status: 2006 December Best One Tonner Ute! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mildura Posts: 362 Rep Power: 3	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes I think it all comes down to driver educations as Panas said, there isnt enough of it in schools it should be a compulsary subject. We had driver training programs at school, but that was only if you selected a mechanical subject or engineering, it shouldve been thru the whole school. As for v8 engines and all that shit they mean nothing, it all comes down to the wanker behind the wheel and the limits people wanna push their cars. __________________ R.I.P Shane, Abby, Cory, Josie, Stevie-Lee and Cassandra. Will never forget you guys.

04-01-2007, 17:15	#6 (permalink)
cb205 Status: Feral Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Henty Posts: 84 Rep Power: 3	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes Geez these 'reports' make me laugh, The people who write them have never seen a minor accident,let alone a fatal, and they try and tell people who see accidents as part of their job what happens. Than they put these ads on TV that are nothing like real crashes. It seems every week they attack a different vehicle - first its 4WD's than its large sedans, now its utes. Why dont these people (the ones who write this shit) get a life, and a bit of insight into what really happens at a crash wouldnt hurt either Anyway - thats my whinge cheers steve __________________ LIFE MAY BE A TWO WAY STREET - BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS DUAL LANES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IT'S A BAD IDEA TO GET IN A CHASE CAR WITH ANYONE CRAZIER THAN YOURSELF

05-01-2007, 00:53	#7 (permalink)
tonk Status: Feral Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: maitland Posts: 167 Rep Power: 3	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes instead of banning bullbars, why dont they ban drink drivers from driving ever again? i know the subject is a little different but shit! i have seen people drive when they can even say their own name and then you take their keys and your the biggest ass in the world. i knew a woman who's ucle was a repeated drink driver from victoria, he had killed one person and incited a fatal accident while drink driving, he has had his license taken from him about a dozen times and he has been to court in bendigo that many times they need to build him a house out back. he still has never spent any time in jail! he has been in the tank and in the watchhouse but never sent to prison. how can this be? i dont blame the police, as they are the ones that keep busting him. I think the courts and the do gooders need to realise that after so many offences he doesnt deserve a second chance. a hard luck story about how bad your life is or was when your a kid, has no bearing on your repeated stupidity behind the wheel. i have been pulled and pushed regarding my old ute( the femmeferal ) and was put off the road once. i was forever getting pulled over for breatho's and lisence checks ( when i had all my tooheys sponsor stickers on the ute was when it was the worst ) and random rego checks. i have had my ute on the side on the road being searched for drugs or paraphenalia, stolen goods and illegal accessories. while an hour before i was behind someone who thought they were in america and drove on the right hand side of the road. please! just because i own a ute doesnt mean i am part of some large crime syndicate. I think the powers that be need to get their priorities right! dont pick on my stickers and go pick on the constant stream of drink/drivers drivers.

12-07-2007, 16:23	#9 (permalink)
dirt settlers Status: Mallee Records Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: West side of the rabbit proof fence. Posts: 420 Rep Power: 2	Re: 'Deathtrap' utes I don't think Holden would have made a VZ SS Ute less safe than the VZ SS sedan. I own, well paying off, a 2007 VZ SS Ute. It looks just like the sedan, except for the back. I'm sure all the safety features have been built into it...but I'm not going to try and do the cars top speed. A lot of drivers don’t understand the environment and terrain that they are driving in or become complaisant within their familiar surroundings; it doesn’t matter if you are in a Ute or Sedan. On a racetrack there are no lamp-poles or trees or the numerous other obstacles, and the cars are built and designed for the racing track environment. Trying to emulate what the Bathurst drivers do out in the street is a recipe for disaster; but I guess a hoon is a hoon with no regard for other road users. I used to drive for a living and saw my share of dick-heads. Know your car and its limits and pay special attention to the environment and you shouldn’t have a problem. In a controlled situation, like on the farm, I do like doing doughnuts and figure 8s. __________________ Dirt Settlers Official Decals