Perhaps the Government had Mark Webber in mind when they created their controversial new slogan “you’re a dickhead.” Deputy Police Commissioner Ken Lay probably thinks so.
Webber has been in the middle of a tangled web that has spun bigger and bigger since he defended Lewis Hamilton’s actions of doing a burnout and a fishtail last Friday night. Hamilton was seen by police officers performing the burnouts on St Kilda Road and consequently had his car impounded and received a summons for inappropriate use of a vehicle. The former World Champion hid his face in shame as the media caught wind of his little misdemeanour. Was it embarrassment of being caught or embarrassment over the fact that he alleged had a passenger in the vehicle with him, whose life, he put at risk?
Webber and Hamilton are paid thousands to be the fastest and the best on the track. They have millions worldwide looking up to them and wishing they were them. Being in the spotlight, they have a responsibility to be safe off and on the track.
Grand Prix boss Ron Walker supported Hamilton’s actions and blamed it on a once off, snap decision. “I know Lewis Hamilton well and he spends a lot of his time talking to young people about road safety.” Walker said. Perhaps he’s had too many bumps on the track and has forgotten?
Enter Mark Webber. Webber blamed Hamilton’s punishments as a result of Australia being a Nanny State. “It’s a great country, but we’ve got to be responsible for our actions and it’s certainly a bloody Nanny State when it comes to what we can do.” Webber then went on to say that you had to “dodge the ridiculous speeding and parking rules” that we have in Australia.
I’m sure Ken Lay and the 6 families that had loved ones affected by road trauma this past weekend wouldn’t agree. To say that Ken Lay was more than disappointed with Mark Webber’s comments is an understatement. “It’s really disappointing. Mark Webber is in a position where he’s got the ability to influence our road users,” the Deputy Police Commissioner said. “That’s after a weekend which left six dead, four of them attributed to speeding.”
With the Easter break coming up the police are worried that this will be our worst road death toll in five years. We already have 11 more dead than this time last year.
So what do you think? Are our road rules too strict? Is Mark Webber right, or should he have made a visit to The Alfred Hospital, and visited the trauma unit and see up close and personal what speed and breaking “the rules” can do?
No comments:
Post a Comment