The Party is the latest...

The Party is the latest political organisation to board the anti-4x4 bandwagon. Sounding suspiciously like London mayor Ken Livingstone, the Lib Dems reportedly now insist on ""banning Chelsea tractors and taxing them off the roads". The additional fees that owners of such vehicles would pay have nothing to do with raking in yet more cash from motorists. No, they"re all about safety, and kids in particular, argued Lib Dem chairman, Matthew Taylor.

"They (four-wheel-drive cars) are extremely dangerous to pedestrians," he claimed. "If you are hit by a family saloon they are designed so you will ride over the bonnet and be protected to some extent. But if you are hit by a 4x4, you are normally caught under the vehicle." Are the Lib Dems only offended by those 4WD vehicles that have an off-road appearance? Let"s give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are. But if that"s the case, owners of cheap cars such as the Suzuki Jimny and Daihatsu Terios would be among those priced off the road.

I remind you again that "freedom" is the most important world in the current Lib Dem vocabulary, closely followed by "fairness". Where is the freedom for 4x4 owners when they"re threatened with being driven off the road? How can the Party talk about fairness, then victimise and discriminate against certain drivers purely because of the vehicle they use?

Matthew Taylor concentrated on what allegedly happens when a four-wheel-drive motor is in collision with a pedestrian. Why no mention of the consequences of being hit by a bus, lorry, van, tram or chauffeur-driven limo? Have these people ever considered that tall, boxy 4x4s are easier to spot than sleeker, lower cars when crossing the road, for example? And that people driving 4x4s have a clearer view of the road and pavements? Or that generally, the larger and heavier the car, the more protection it affords its passengers which is why, quite rightly, they"re perceived as good for parents seeking to transport their kids in a safe environment?

A final piece of advice for Matthew Taylor or any other politician: don"t concern yourself too much with what happens to a pedestrian when they are in collision with a four-wheel-drive car. Try and prevent the accident occurring in the first place. It"s no consolation that I"ll be flung in the air, injured and quite possibly killed if I"m hit by an "acceptable" car, whereas I"ll be knocked to the ground (allegedly), injured and quite possibly killed if I"m hit by an "unacceptable" 4x4.

I would be reassured if I thought the likes of the Lib Dems" Taylor were using their political clout to embark on an accident prevention campaign, with the goal of eliminating all collisions between cars and pedestrians. Instead, they waste time and taxpayers" money viciously and unfairly hounding owners of all-wheel-drive vehicles. They"re barking up the wrong tree.