I am consistently amazed about the ability of the public and politicians to make knee-jerk reactions. Richard Hammonds accident last week prompted (again!) calls for Top Gear to be banned.
Top Gear is, I think, the finest car program on the TV. It’s unashamedly for petrolheads, and is massively entertaining. Accidents _do_ happen, and I realise that this was a serious one. But it was done in a controlled environment, with plenty of safety management, and Hammond was well aware of the risks he was taking. And it’s a darn site better than, say, Big Brother.
I, for one, despite all my beliefs and morals, do *not* want to live in a world like in Demolition Man.
So I present to you the Top Gear Petition – just to make it known that not everyone is jerking their knees.
mrBen
The calls for Top Gear to be “refocused” came before Richard Hammond’s accident. They were (in my opinion legitimate) complaints that the program is too focused on speed and dangerous driving styles which could influence how people driving on the public roads. (i.e. white man van challenges to drive as close to the vehicle in front of you as possible)
Probably the greater knee jerk reaction was the number of donations to the specific air ambulance service that rescued this particular individual, there must be hundereds of people who owe their lives to similar services every year and weren’t complicit in their own accident, yet they do not provoke the same outpouring of hard cash.
t0m – I agree with you to an extent. There definitely have been calls to stop Top Gear before, but there has definitely been a new rallying cry since the accident.
The programs focus is the only thing that differentiates it from other motoring shows – there’s nothing quite like Top Gear. The argument over influence is pretty much the same as the arguments about violence on TV or in video games, so I guess it depends where you stand on that. Personally I know that I drive on the speed limit (although I can’t say I always have) and that I’ve been driving for 10 years and only been involved in a single accident that wasn’t my fault. I’ve watched Top Gear the entire time.
“only been involved in a single accident that wasn’t my fault.”
So the rest *were* your fault?
I’m kidding, of course.
What’s tv? I don’t have tv? What’s top gear? Is that clothing for neds?