Ford Forums banner

Cruise behaviour concerns

9K views 105 replies 38 participants last post by  Red_EB_S 
#1 ·
G'day all,

The issue has certainly emerged a few times but we have yet to cure it. There have been some recent reports of cruises in various states where the standard of driving has left a thing or 2 to be desired. Understandably, in the spirit of the occasion people can get carried away. My concern is that when we start toying with the laws of physics, things can turn ugly.

In saying this, even in our own past we have not always been lucky. A handful of Victorian guys will have memories of a highly respected member who lost control of his car during a wheel-spinning exit from a meet point and ended up swerving and crashing over a gutter. Far worse than a potentially written-off car was the humiliation for him, including a less-than-impressed female passenger. It was a sad day that few have forgotten.

So the bottom line is that when we hear of events where people are not driving with safety in mind, it is a recipe for disaster. At the current rate, the odds are a serious accident will happen at some stage. The potential consequences of this are well worth thinking about.

We have devised club rules and regulations but now we need to strictly enforce them. I certainly hope nobody is naive enough to view this as 'taking away the fun'. Anyone who has been involved in an accident can confirm my suspicion that it is not fun by any stretch.

Some of the new ideas we are looking at include a brief discussion before the departure from a meet reminding members of the regulations. Unfortunately we are also going to have to look seriously at starting to take action against offenders. The issue cannot go unaddressed.

If anyone has anything constructive to add, your thoughts are valued.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
yes i gather (i didn't attend the meet in question) silly antics marred a Brisbane FF cruise.. Now it is done by invite only thru email.. It is a shame it came to that but due to some *fools*, that have no repect for themselves, others property or others are not welcome anymore..

Roads are for cruising, racetracks are for racing..

I'd dare hedge a bet, that the idiots that drive like this are also the ones that bitch about having no money for tyres and full comp insurance..

We all like to act up every now and then but some people can't understand that there is a time and place for it

Well done Jack for bringing to peoples attention again...
 
#4 ·
Reminds me of some dickheads the other week in a commodore cruise here in Adelaide.
I was standing at the lights behind a commodore, which was ready to drag the
commodore besides it, next to me was a commodore, behind that was one and behind me was one too.
Anyways, all of a sudden each and every one of them starts bagging up
the rears. The two commies at the lights dragged of the line and nearly ran each other
of the road because the road zipped into one lane. BLOODY DICKHEADS !!!
And I'm sitting there I'm my missus mums car, with my missus and her mom.
Where's the cops when you need them.

But to get back on the topic, I do think people should be made aware of set club- rules.
If they decide to do stupid stuff anyway, ban them from the club !!!
It's called a CRUISE, not a RACE !!!!
 
#5 ·
If it's of any help we usually start the cruises with a briefing that includes our definition of acceptable behaviour. People who don't adhere to those rules are simply told to leave - it's only had to happen once so far but the individual concerned is also banned from attending other cruises we organise for a period of time.

There is a also a thread here that forms the basis of our cruise terms (it's called Cruise definition) that might help a bit.

Cheers
Russ
 
#6 ·
We aren't going to point fingers and single people out but hopefully the people know who they are and can appreciate that we don't want that type of driving style. Of course accidents do and will happen but if its a result of sprited driving then thats where the club gets brought into it. Other clubs (CCC) have very successful cruises and they are 100% for safe driving.
 
#7 ·
This is an issue that needs to be looked at. Enforcement of guidelines may need to be a tad "strickter" than is currently being experenced. Im all for 'fun' but keep the name E-Series/FF seperate.
 
#8 ·
NZ,

can you please explain why you wont be targeting individuals? If they are happy enough to do stupid things behind the wheel and give the club a bad image, why arent they going to be faced with the consequences?

I think perhaps you should stop getting all worried about treading on people's toes and hurting their feelings. Its tough love, but which do you prefer - telling someone to leave or pulling them out of what's left of their car?

If the best this club can do is 'politely suggest' that people drive safer, you may as well not bother.
 
#9 ·
Fair points for sure.

The priority at this stage is giving people clear warnings before the cruises as Russell described. At that point we will be able to 'target' individuals and say we are doing what we have to do. There will be no excuses of 'I didn't realise' etc.

It gets more complicated when realistically we cannot expect people to drive under 2500 rpm at all times. A line must be drawn.
 
#10 ·
Drive under 2500rpm? If the club is going to make rules as to how many revs we are able to do while driving on a cruise, that's where the line must be drawn.

We have all done things on cruises which we are ashamed of, but they are done on the spur of the moment. If that person crashes, hurts themselves, it's their own fault, and although we think that people will blame the club as a whole, it's realistic that people will assume, as long as it is an isolated incident, that it was the individual.

If this issue is pushed too hard, people will go underground, and create their own cruises (as we've seen) where they do things that aren't condoned by the club/site.

I say, don't distribute stickers/club endorsments to people who have broken the rules, and let the shame lie on them alone. That way, if they are involved, the site cannot be linked.

As much as i hate to play the devil's advocate, we all have our own licenses, we all are in charge of our own driving. The club can't determine how we use this priviledge, but they sure as hell can ban and kick out members who don't obey by the rules.

There's no way to stop this kind of behaviour from happening, especially when mods on this site, as well as other highly respected members are accused of doing what we're talking about here..
 
#11 ·
RaceCraft said:
yes i gather (i didn't attend the meet in question) silly antics marred a Brisbane FF cruise.. Now it is done by invite only thru email.. It is a shame it came to that but due to some *fools*, that have no repect for themselves, others property or others are not welcome anymore..

Roads are for cruising, racetracks are for racing..
Yes thats the way FCT does it now XR6Gal and myself thought long and hard about ways we could cut the behaviour down to a managable level, and thats the way we decided on doing it.
We have a quite a few regulars that come along to every cruise now just because this behaviour isnt happening.
I'll be the first to admit I dont drive at low rev's half the time, and occasionally the ute may have a lack of traction. BUT I definately understand the difference between giving it a WOT fang to 100 on a open fwy and ripping donuts in a crowded car park loaded with Very very expensive Street cars, people and little kids.

**** Hey moron you know who you are and i hope you have woken up to yourself****

The short version of it all if you want to carry on like a tool you'll find you won't be welcome at any of the FordForums based events/cruises.
Be it FCT or the others. I'm sure LunaticSVT doesnt want his name dragged through the mud for such a stupid act. And I am even more sure that he won't stand for it.

Want to be sideways all the time race speedway cause thats not what our cruises are about....
 
#12 ·
Yagz, the problem is that under certain circumstances, the club will take the blame. If a member of the public is hurt by a club member, the blame falls upon all of us. Prevention is better than cure.

BTW you completely missed the point of the 2500 rpm thing. :angel:
 
#13 ·
I disagree, Jack.

Find me one court in this country that will blame an internet site for a driver hurting a member of the public. The fact that we organise a place to get a group of enthusiasts together does not put any legal responsibility on the site. We could have used the telephone to phone members and organise to meet somewhere.. Does this mean the telephone company will be blamed as well?

The only thing i think would cause the club to become involved, would be if fordforums.com and eseries club were registered car clubs, like FPV and XR clubs of victoria. Otherwise, the medium used to organise a place to meet is not under any legal obligations. That is my understanding, anyway..

And no, i understood what you meant about the 2500rpm ;)
 
#14 ·
Aside from the legal aspect which may be debatable, there is the possibility of media attention etc. The point is we should endeavor to avoid this but explaining our stance and our disclaimer before every meet.
 
#15 ·
How about labeling crusies as official and non official, so on the non official cruise if a person decides to go sideways and smash into someone, the club will not be held reponsible? On the official crusies, make strict guidelines which members HAVE to follow.....
 
#16 · (Edited)
You're all missing the point. The club cannot be responsible. I'm not saying i accept this behaviour, but it must be said that IF on the slight event, someone does hurt someone, the blame will be held entirely on them.

Jack, you started off by saying the club would be held responsible, now you're saying it's about media attention? Who believes what the media say anyway? I'm sure there has been enough media attention on car clubs for being stupid, and even if we were exposed, it would be short lived, and people would forget. Think about any organisation in history, that has had some members which don't conform to the rules.. Police corruption, catholic church, the list goes on. Sure, they blame the club/organisation, but only 1%. The other 99% of blame falls on the person responsible.

I suppose anyone who starts up an organistion where other human beings are involved knows that they are unpredictable, and don't always do what they are told.

This is a very hard subject to debate about, but certainly needs attention.
 
#17 ·
Oh Pullllllease! If you've got an E-Series or FF sticker on your car - what's it there for? To bring publicity to the club and to the site.

And if you drive like a f**king idiot and someone sees those stickers - what are they gonna think then?

It's a WELL KNOWN fact that some of you guys go on cruises just to be complete knobheads behind the wheel - anyone who's read some of the cruise threads on here would be able to see that. So don't come on here bitching and whinging about how your rights are being limited and how you cant tell people how to drive.

MYEL8, yep, you're right, it is your licence. So put it in your pocket, get in your car and drive away somewhere else if you wanna be a knob behind the wheel.

There is a line where fun driving becomes dangerous, irresponsible and downright stupid driving - ALL of us know where it is, but the pathetic thing about it is that some of you not only cross it - you enjoy it and think it's hardcore.
 
#18 ·
back2thefutura said:
Oh Pullllllease! If you've got an E-Series or FF sticker on your car - what's it there for? To bring publicity to the club and to the site.

And if you drive like a f**king idiot and someone sees those stickers - what are they gonna think then?

It's a WELL KNOWN fact that some of you guys go on cruises just to be complete knobheads behind the wheel - anyone who's read some of the cruise threads on here would be able to see that. So don't come on here bitching and whinging about how your rights are being limited and how you cant tell people how to drive.

MYEL8, yep, you're right, it is your licence. So put it in your pocket, get in your car and drive away somewhere else if you wanna be a knob behind the wheel.

There is a line where fun driving becomes dangerous, irresponsible and downright stupid driving - ALL of us know where it is, but the pathetic thing about it is that some of you not only cross it - you enjoy it and think it's hardcore.
I'm not sure if your post was directed at me, but i'm certainly not whinging and saying my rights will be limited.. On all the official FF.com meets, i've been pretty well behaved, and adhered to the rules. Actually, on all the cruises i've been on, and XR6Child can agree, i, and others have tried to be good, and set an example. Now, as another example, on the recent cruise in my area, around the mornington peninsula, i put on a bit of a show, but in areas where i knew it was safe to do so, and where i had done so before. No other members of the public, nor any of the members were in danger. It's hard to say the same about other people, who think it will be cool to drift round a set of lights, when there are cyclists less than 1 meter away, right next to them, and the slightest mistake could mean life or death.

People, drive to the conditions. Obviously, if there are alot of people around, don't do anything that draws too much attention. If you're out in the bush, and find a nice big open playground, and no-one else is around, have some fun, but don't endanger any members of the public or fellow members.

It's as simple as that. As far as warning people before cruises, i think that the above is all that's needed to be said.
 
#20 ·
I've said what i've needed to say..

Of course there's an ethical and moral responsibility, but i'm sure this thread was trying to highlight the legal issues involved, which i have failed to see.

I'd like to think that all ford drivers hold some common sense, which is what this comes down to in the end.
 
#21 ·
hmm, i honestly dont see the need to do stupid stuff, unless it is at an event centred around this and you achieve/win something by doing so. i know i wont be doing any unothodox driving on any public roads. i know the temptation may well be there for people whose cars are exceptionally good, but surely they can restrain themselves like 99% of people do. cant say ive ever witnessed any unruly behaviour at a club meet, but ive only attended two thus far, which have both been FCT events, and the conduct and 'friendlyness' at these meets is worthy of mention.
 
#22 ·
ok then, first i've heard about anything.
 
#23 ·
MYEL 8 said:
XR6Child can agree, i, and others have tried to be good, and set an example. Now, as another example, on the recent cruise in my area, around the mornington peninsula, i put on a bit of a show, but in areas where i knew it was safe to do so, and where i had done so before.
Okay, Originally I didn't want to Make a big deal or enter this thread, but Chris, you've bought me into it now. I think i've attended enough events to pass judgement, as I have seen this sort of behavior many a time from club members, even club members who have replied to this thread are guilty of absolute stupidity.
I think also if we are to be serious about this kind of stuff, the pictures/ videos of burnouts and crazy behaviour on public roads need to be kept to the person who took them, and not broadcasted on the internet.

Last night I watched a video of an EB or an ED wait about 20 seconds for a gap in heavy traffic, only to take off from the intersection at a near ninety degree fishtail. I then heard admiring laughter from those watching.

To tell the truth, I cheered at the video cuz I thought it was unreal... Still do. But the blunt point is if we are really to enforce these types of guidelines to the club then why be hypocrits by plastering pictures of burnouts and such after the cruise, only to complain about behaviour on the cruises. Come on fellas, some consistency is needed!

I'm NOT gonna say i'm an angel. I dragged 2 members on the last Cruise When we were in Doncaster (My turf where, like Yags, I knew it was safe, although it's still no excuse..), and hell, Look at my Sig picture (Which was done safely on private ground). But not one person told me or my 'opponents' that we were out of line.

My first cruise (Dandenong) Someone did a massive standstill in a Maccas carpark..... To the tune of laughter. It Just is ridiculous, we HAVE to be tough... Its easy to whinge and moan about cruise behaviour whilst hiding behind a computer, but no-one is prepared to do the dirty work and tell these culprits that their bullshit isn't wanted!
And I agree, If anything was to happen God forbid, the media would make note that the offending car(s) was/were part of an 'E series' cruise meet. Now whether we would be in the news for months days or hours, publicity like that is not needed.

Now I realise how serious this issue has become, I'll endeavor to keep my behaviour clean on the cruises so my name isn't thrown in in the sin bin, and ill try to make sure that people keep well behaved on the cruises. Theres really only so much that each of us can do. But if we are to be dead serious about this, Video clips of falcons drifting around corners should be confined to a race track day.

Clips of the behaviour afforementioned only expose a weakness in our execution of these 'guidelines', that we all have been guilty of being hypocritical at some stage to different degrees, and maybe we should begin to practice what we preach......

I'm Open to your thoughts,
-Dan
 
#24 ·
ok I've been away for the best part of tonight and quite frankly not in the mood to read through this thread. I want to get some sleep. Thos who have addressed me will get a reply soon. Lets not let this thread go downhill. But I will say this if people do not like being asked to be sensible then we are not holding you here.
 
#25 ·
back2thefutura said:
NZ,

can you please explain why you wont be targeting individuals? If they are happy enough to do stupid things behind the wheel and give the club a bad image, why arent they going to be faced with the consequences?

I think perhaps you should stop getting all worried about treading on people's toes and hurting their feelings. Its tough love, but which do you prefer - telling someone to leave or pulling them out of what's left of their car?

If the best this club can do is 'politely suggest' that people drive safer, you may as well not bother.
Its good to see you feel so strongly on the subject I like it. you have misunderstood my post however. I meant in this instance we won't be singling people out. Don't think I'm afraid to single people out as I was the one who singled out the people in WA which started the last shit fight. Keep up the good attitude however I know I will beable to count on you to hammer home the message we are trying to get across at any cruise you go on.
 
#26 ·
Yagz with all due respect mate I can't understand why you say you put on a show at the last cruise when you made such a fuss over the meet sundeep was organising recently. Don't get me wrong i'm not trying to defend that meet but I just can't see why someone would argue the point soo much but then turn around and go back on it all. You mentioned it was safe? well why? I really don't want to get into specific details I just can't see any logic in it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top