4 Wheel Drive Means 4 Wheel Drive

4 Wheel Drive means 4 wheel drive! These signs are posted at every beach access that allows parking or driving on the beach, like Seaside Park and The South End.

In all the years I have lived in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida, it never ceases to amaze me that tourists and locals alike don’t understand that a sign that says “4 Wheel Drive” means 4 Wheel Drive. These signs are posted at every beach access that allows parking or driving on the beach, like Seaside Park and The South End. There is a major reason for these signs and I truly enjoy watching the escapades that take place when people ignore them. Most of the time it is tourists who think that their little cars are way to light to sink into the sand, however, I have seen many locals in big 2 Wheel drive trucks make the mistake of stopping on the beach.

While out filming a segment for our “What to do on Amelia Island” series at the south end driving area we watched a person in a small car drive onto the fine sand at the entrance, stop to talk to someone fishing there and then decide to move along. As soon as they gave it some gas to move along, the rear wheels became buried firmly in the sand. This caused a lot of commotion and a backup of ten vehicles trying to get on the beach. As we left, we saw the posted sign at the entrance that read “4 X 4 Vehicles Only“.

My favorite story of someone getting stuck on the beach happened while some of our best friends from Atlanta, GA, and their kids were here for a visit. We had all gone to the beach at Seaside Park so the kids could swim and boogie board while the adults sat around and talked and had a drink. This of course would not have been anything with alcohol because this is against the law on our beaches. I own a 4 Wheel Drive Durango, so we loaded everything up that we needed and I drove it on to the beach.

While we were talking a young couple in a jacked up pickup truck with big wheels and lots of custom extras pulled on to the beach, turned around and headed back out. They unfortunately stopped on their way out and this was the beginning of their downfall. The young man buried the rear end of the truck all the way to the axle trying to get out of the soft sand. He tried everything to get unstuck to no avail. His girlfriend finally got out of the truck and surveyed the situation. She decided that they had to dig out the sand from around the back tires in order to free themselves.

She proceeded to bend over in her tiny little bikini, and try digging the truck free with her hands. Of course, this little Hottie had drawn quite a crowd and 12 to 15 guys stood around, watching her dig while staring at her behind, telling her to keep digging.

The moral of the story – 4 Wheel Drive Means 4 Wheel Drive or you may make a butt of yourself.