YOUR SAY: Where do we draw the line for Fraser 4WD tours?

SUGGESTIONS tag-along four-wheel-drive tours were dangerous was met with mixed reaction by Sunshine Coast Daily readers. 

The death of a 22-year-old British backpacker during a tag-along tour on Fraser Island last year has led to sweeping changes to improve safety for visitors.

Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef Steven Miles said there had been a review of the safety of tag-along tours after the death of Jade Fox, who was killed when the four-wheel drive she was in as part of a tag-along tour of the island overturned.

Change will mean all drivers in tag-along tour vehicles had to be aged 21 or over, drivers would have to pass a safety assessment before getting behind the wheel, and tour guides would undergo a performance review with their employer at least four times a year.

Here's a snapshot of your online Facebook debate: 

Rainbow Beach Towing & Roadside Assist: This affects all four-wheel-drive hire, not just the tag-along tours. We also own a private four-wheel-drive hire company and the new laws were standard in our terms and conditions anyway. Plus we give a beach driving lesson with each hire and restrict our customers to 60kmh on the island. We (touchwood) have never had a major incident in two and a half years of operation because we give good instructions and clear rules which have costly penalties if breached. Four-wheel-drive hire that is not based out of Rainbow Beach just don't have the ability to give these kind of instructions which places them at higher risk.  

Anna McLeish: Again, like I posted last year, the driver was not speeding, but the car had serious faults. Third gear kept popping out and there were other serious faults with other cars in the fleet like jammed seatbelts that wouldn't undo and a completely rusted out back seat that collapsed while we were on tour. The cars should be in perfect working order before people get in them. At least half a day should be spent at Rainbow learning four-wheel-drive techniques on the sand and an experienced four-wheel-drivers should be in each car to help when people have problems. These things are at least!  So much more could be done than this! Inexperienced four-wheel-drivers put themselves and experienced four-wheel-drivers at risk when they are not accompanied by an experienced four-wheel-driver.  

Donna Mayne: Good! A four-wheel-drive is not a case if just getting in and just driving- there is a level if skill and experience that goes with it.. Tag-alongs are people usually who have four-wheel-drive follow an experienced driver, who usually teaches you as you go. But more have become like party tours, speeding and carrying on. That's when accidents happen.  

Thomas Guy: Make tag-along tours against the law.