Pet Hates by Lily Harlem

Welcome to OUTRAGEOUS!

The very lovely Lucy Felthouse had a little rant about her pet hate litter the other day, and while reading her post (and agreeing with her, dropping litter is inexcusable) I got to thinking about what really irritates me.

I realised what got my hackles up later that day as I was driving to the shops, and that's because I was nearly 'taken out' by someone chatting on their mobile phone whilst hurtling along at sixty miles an hour! I had to swerve out of his way, the side of my car skimmed the hedgerow and to say my heart was going like the clappers is an understatement!

Why do it? It's illegal in the UK to drive and use your phone! -very cross face!

Chatting on a mobile is different to having a conversation with a passenger. Not only are there lots of reasons to take your eyes off the road and fiddle with the screen, the person on the other end of the line doesn't 'see' the road as you are. I've noticed that when in the car and having a good gossip, when I reach a bad junction or someone gets a bit too close in town, my passengers will nearly always halt conversation, to allow my concentration. This, I believe, is one of the big differences between chatting on the phone and chatting in the car. You passenger has empathy.

Of course hands-free talking is perfectly legal, but still, it would do everyone good to remember if they are talking to someone who is driving that the conversational flow may pause from time to time, because after all, driving does require a good dose of concentration.

Okay, rant over, I feel refreshed now, off to do some writing...

Lily x