As we were at several points throughout the day, we continued to see the Unimog with the children always back on top. This is more than an accident waiting to happen. It is devastation in the making. Then the picture in the article on page 62 promoting such horrifying ignorance was my final straw. It is an open desert, thanks to the off-road clubs and clean-up crews that work so hard to keep it that way. I will no longer be supporting a cause that is not promoting the safety of children (at the least). I will no longer extend my subscription to a magazine that finds such ignorance entertaining. I certainly hope I am not the only person or parent who feels this way. I discourage the participation in any event that allows children to be purposely put in extreme danger.
Alicia Jonsson
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Thank you for your letter bringing this situation to our attention. We in no way promote a disregard to safety while using a 4x4. Unfortunately we did not see any of the described actions of the Unimog driver, nor did we ever hear anything about it. We saw this vehicle parked in camp with the children on top and took the photo, and published it as a great way to promote family participation at a great event. We feel that the children sitting on top of a non-moving vehicle is as safe as any other activity, and that is what we observed. If we had seen such actions on the trail, we would not have used such a photo.
I have been a subscriber for more than 22 years. I had to write you a note and ask you why you gave credit to BlueRibbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Associations, but no contact information or Web page? Also, why don't you give a full page to these groups for membership drives? These groups are in the forefront in keeping our trails open. I would think you will be losing subscribers when there is no place to go, and there will be no reason for us to buy off-road accessories! These two groups have shown they know what to do and have been there for all of us. Why would you not want the sport to grow and get bigger? I live in Montana and we are in a fight with the greenies that will not stop soon. So again, why don't you devote a whole page to these groups to get new members and raise money for this kind of battle? Do you and your staff all belong to these groups?
ED Melcher, Chairman
Families for Outdoor Recreation (www.ffor.org)
Right you are, and we appreciate it being brought to our attention. We almost always source whomever we are talking about, and especially our friends at BlueRibbon Coalition (www.sharetrails.org) and United Four Wheel Drive Associations (www.ufwda.org), but sometimes we miss out. Now we even have your link on our Web site, and hopefully more people will take advantage of that, even us!