Like it or not, trends are part of our lives as part of our right to express ourselves. These trends give us an idea of what works for many people in terms of fashion, music, shopping habits, and even how to reveal the gender of your future offspring to family and friends.
But as with any activity, this right of expression stops as soon as we infringe the rights of others. In this case in Australia, it is a matter of legality and safety.
A car used to do burnouts for a ‘gender reveal’ party was recently destroyed by Queensland police. In September, a Holder Commodore was filmed doing burnouts, producing thick blue smoke signifying a baby boy is on the way.
The driver of the car was arrested by police for a “life-threatening offence” with his car. In addition to the destruction of the car, the driver was also sentenced to prison and banned from driving for four years.
“The burnout was so severe that you couldn’t see the road in any direction for about 100 yards,” Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus said in a statement.
“If you destroy the road, we will destroy your car – it’s as simple as that,” said Mark Ryan, Minister of Police and Corrections and Minister of Fire and Emergency Services.
The activity was used to send a strong message to the “morons” in the Land Down Under. The car was used by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) for their road accident rescue training. It was destroyed on the steps of the Queensland Parliament, simulating a process that must be done to free passengers trapped inside a car.
“Firefighters attend thousands of road accidents each year, many of which require the use of specialist cutting equipment to free people,” said QFES commissioner Greg Leach.
“While firefighters expand their knowledge with each incident they witness, our teams much prefer practicing their skills on a vehicle in a simulated, controlled scenario than on the road in real life.”
