Are modified cars destined to become a thing of the past?
Look around at the warning signs…
We have the media sensationalising stories about modified vehicles and their drivers; everything from police blitzes which target modified vehicles to allegations of shoot-outs between rival modified car clubs (true – it happened in Queensland a couple of years ago).
We see major car manufacturers releasing hybrid vehicles… Battery power when you’re cruising, petrol when you need power.
Then there are all those documentary programs on cable television showing what they believe our battery-powered future buzz-boxes will possibly look like and how well they will (allegedly) perform.
Governments are choking the modified car movement with strangle-hold legislation which stops just-short of making it a criminal offence to drive such a vehicle, and the “just-short” policy turns these “anti-hoon” laws into a veritable gold-mine. Rest assured that modified car owners would rate fairly high in their contribution to public coffers through fines enforced by over-enthusiastic police forces throughout the land.
Are governments so arrogant they think no-one will care that a minority group is being targeted, discriminated against; or are they that stupid they don’t realise how many of their constituents are car enthusiasts. In fact, if modified car owners took a political stance, it is highly likely that we would have the power to sway election results; the best way to give politicians the finger, sack them at the polling booth.
And what makes me think I’m right about the numbers? Look how many people turn-up at car events. A small regional show can attract thousands of car lovers; larger events, tens of thousands. And the largest show of them all, Summernats, attracts numbers approaching 100,000.
Summernats 25 – The Chrome Jubilee, aired on One HD recently and attracted more than 500,000 viewers, half a million plus viewers… Is there anyone out there who doesn’t believe that one in 40 Australians tuned in to watch a television program about modified cars is a big number? Is there anyone who doesn’t believe that with those sorts of numbers, we have the power to demand that we are treated with respect and without discrimination?
Perhaps it’s time we took stock of our situation and, instead of complaining about how hard done-by we are, start thinking about our democratic right; our right to modify our vehicles in a manner that is safe and the right to drive those vehicles on the road without any fear of harassment, discrimination or victimisation.
Have you joined the campaign yet? Are you prepared to become a part of saving our culture?