Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

[KybraBoss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close KybraBoss]

A recent incident got me thinking about the capabilities of my wife to drive out of the areas we often go if something happened to me.

Being the driving nazi that I am I do 99% of the driving on road if we're travelling together and all the off-road work, I still have trouble getting her to stay in the truck if she thinks there is a possibility of roll over/ getting stuck against a tree/ bogged in water etc.

Back to the incident, the guy's partner didn't even know how to drive the manual vehicle they were travelling in, the guy took a tumble walking across some rocks and ended up with a busted leg and dislocated sholder... no more than 50kms from the local hospital but might as well been on the other side of the moon with both of them unable to drive the vehicle and bad phone reception. The only luck they had was the rock that she went to out of their campsite to have a good cry over their predicament was in a very slim corridor of scratchy phone reception and she was able to get a message to the authorities to raise the alarm.

A lot of heart ache, worry and potential disaster could have averted with a weekend of basic 4X4 training.

We have decided that my wife will be on the next course available to us that I'm not instructing to bring her skills up to a level where we are both comfortable, one of the reasons I want her to take the course with another instructor so we don't have the marriage wrecking "But you said..." "but I mean't..." heated discussions around a smoldering, sinking, upside down Prado...

[foxclan Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close foxclan]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

Hi KybraBoss

[quote]We have decided that my wife will be on the next course available to us that I'm not instructing to bring her skills up to a level where we are both comfortable, one of the reasons I want her to take the course with another instructor so we don't have the marriage wrecking "But you said..." "but I mean't..." heated discussions around a smoldering, sinking, upside down Prado...[quote]

Very wise to get the (Hugs & Kisses) involved with the driving mate.
My thoughts were, if We 4wd to a remote area and I got a snake bite on the bum while doing the morning paper work.
a) Is she going to suck the venom out. Or
b) Be capable of driving the vehicle out to get treatment.
I also want Her to know the capabilities of the Prado for when I am driving, "That keeps her knuckles a lighter shade of White."
Ask your training facility if they offer any discount for RAA, NRMA, Members, will help with the fee if your a member.
My Beauty also tows the camper on road, its all good practice and lets you sit back for a bit.
Cheers Troy

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

For exactly this reason, before we went remote touring my wife completed a registered 4wd course. I still drive the hardcore stuff but if she had to my wife would be able to take over the driving. I also ensured she knows how to setup and packup the camper trailer in case she is left on her own for whatever reason.

[karrathaprado2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close karrathaprado2]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

Same here...let someone else teach them...we tend to get a little bent out of shape and a proper instructor can get his or her point across to the better half of ALL our relationships without any intimidations. Everyone should be able to do this for your safety and theirs. :lol:

[fishfinder Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close fishfinder]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

Wish I could get her on a course but "APPARENTLY" all the 4wd instructions are on the sunviser :shock: :shock: Then again if the mrs is in the car we dont go to hard as about 200 meters off the black stuff she looks at me and says " Remember my back is stuffed " seldomly I shift the short lever when she is with me .

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

It is on my list for the Handbrake, she enjoys going to the remote places so at some point she is going to have to deal with the fact that she may have to drive, although she is pretty good with reality, but then being married to me for 30 years may have altered her perception on what reality actually is.

This is also the reason we have an Auto.

[FlyingBushPig Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close FlyingBushPig]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

I got my wife 4WDing when we were only just going together. At the time she wasn't real happy about being offroad but now she loves it. Haven't done a course as yet but do plan to as soon as the money and time without kids allows. She's certainly capable off road but I wouldn't be sure she'd be ok on the recovery equipment side. If she had to dig us out, use the high lift etc it would be a long hard job for her due to weight etc I'm sure. The only thing I haven't tried to teach her and should (just remembered as I was reading this) is a stall start. I've done a few reverse stall starts when she wasn't with me, otherwise I've never needed it so she hasn't been there to learn.

Maybe it would be handy to have a simple list of important things our better halves should know, and we should teach them, or refresh them if they have learnt it through a course or otherwise.

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

I also ensured she knows how to setup and packup the camper trailer in case she is left on her own for whatever reason.

Yep - tell the missus it is important that she learns to do this herself in case of a medical or other emergency and then sit back with a drink and watch her do it by herself. :shock: :lol: :lol:

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

For exactly this reason, before we went remote touring my wife completed a registered 4wd course. I still drive the hardcore stuff but if she had to my wife would be able to take over the driving. I also ensured she knows how to setup and packup the camper trailer in case she is left on her own for whatever reason.

Same for my other half this was done some years ago when we were tackling the beach on a regular basis

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

When my 98 GXL was new my Mrs took herself and a couple of girlfriends from ALbany to Bussleton for a "dirty" weekend. Anyway, on the way back home they decided to go exploring. They ventured off road and eventually came to a nice location which needed to be explored further.

The mrs remembered how I put the "little lever" in 4L and away they went, no worries. She was so proud of her achievements.

Now she just says to herself "What would Dave do?"

Don't want to give her too much training though - she might want to drive all the time!

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

We have friends who got caught in this dilemma a while back. 4wd into a camping spot on their own and then hubby does himself a mischief and wife struggles to drive out to take him to hospital. We have made it a practice from day one that my wife does about half the off road driving. If we are going to a new spot I drive in and she drives out. I have seen a few raised eyebrows from friends whose wives never get behind the wheel off the bitumen. I am lucky my wife is a very competent driver. When we go along tracks we both look out for stakes, holes etc and having an extra pair of eyes is invaluable. Mind you I have still staked the sidewall of one tyre up at 5 rocks but who knows what is under the sand. All I can say is for safety and enjoyment girls get behind the wheel. But not ALL the time, we boys want to have some fun too.

Michael

[fishfinder Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close fishfinder]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

I also ensured she knows how to setup and packup the camper trailer in case she is left on her own for whatever reason.

Yep - tell the missus it is important that she learns to do this herself in case of a medical or other emergency and then sit back with a drink and watch her do it by herself. :shock: :lol: :lol:

and " sorry love I had to much to drink looks like you will have to tow after packing up " :lol: which bings us back to this thread -- was it "HOW MANY CAN WE HAVE BEFORE TRAVEL PARTNER HAS TO DRIVE ? "

[ozwapet2 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close ozwapet2]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

My wife thankfully takes in interest in how I set the vehicle up when we go offroad. ( for the very reason mentioned in this thread I suspect )
She asks why/what I am engaging with CDL, low range etc.
Although she doesn't like doing the driving on rough tracks, she's done enough to get us out if she has to.

Also, having the auto Prado with traction control makes it a lot easier for her than the old manual Disco 1 with vacuum operated locker.

[QUICKY Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close QUICKY]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

I had been 4wding for some time and the wife started to get concerned that something should happen to me on one of our trips she wouldn,t know how to get out of the bush.She decided she wanted to do a 4X4 course and she talked me in to going along with her as the second person goes for half price. I must say we both took something away from the course.We did the two day course with Out Of Town 4WD and I highly recomend it.And after this what do you buy your wife for a mothers day present ? Of course it had to be the Advanced 4X4 course, and she past with flying colours.She is now confident to drive in the bush and to winch out when the need arises.

[PradoBoy72 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PradoBoy72]

Re: Safety First,How many have their travel partners able to 4X4

If you use someone like Brisbane Hinterland for your 4WD course they cater for 2 drivers (his and hers) so both parties get the same training during the day