Trevor Laffan

I’ve never had a dog. Never really had any interest in having one.  Taking it for walks,  cleaning up after it or trying to find a home for it while I went on holidays wasn’t my cup of tea. But lots of people do and I can understand that. But there are two types of dog owner. There’s the one who looks after the dog responsibly and then there’s the other type.

I could never understand why someone would want to have a pet and then let it run wild around the neighbourhood. I live in a small estate and there are quite a few dogs both large and small roaming freely. They are released early in the morning by their owners and allowed to run riot until they are locked up again for the night.

There are a couple of small yokes living near me who leave their house at about 7.30am most mornings. They park themselves outside my gate for most of the day and bark constantly, mostly at nothing. After a while the constant yapping starts to grate on the nerves. They are often visited by other mutts who don’t understand what the small things are barking at but decide to join in anyway.

There are other  dogs, large by the sound of them, not too far away who also like to have a barkfest at all hours of the day and night. And barking is not all that they do. They don’t seem to be the least bit embarrassed about fouling any garden they can get in to or the common green areas. During the summer time I cut some of the grass in these areas so I have regularly seen the evidence for myself. This is not only happening in my back yard, it seems to be a national issue.

So what’s the story with these irresponsible dog owners? They are plainly flouting the law for one. The law states that dogs are not to be out in public without a leash. It also states that it is an offence for the owner not to clean up after their dog. But whatever about the law, they obviously have no regard for their neighbours or for the public generally. They are completely thoughtless about the impact their darling pets are having on their community. In short, they are selfish and inconsiderate.

I remember as a youngster watching people toilet training their dogs. They used to shove the dogs nose into the mess and then give them a smack. Apparently this made the dogs realise that they should go to the toilet somewhere else other than the kitchen floor. Maybe we should start using that technique on these carefree owners.

There is no doubt that the standard of driving in this country has deteriorated over the years. That, added to the increased traffic volumes, has meant that our roads have become a dangerous place to be. Park outside any primary school at morning time and you are guaranteed to see chaos and many close shaves. Driving into the local shopping centre can be a real test of nerves while attempting to navigate around a busy roundabout is a bit like going for a stroll in a minefield.

It seems that there are many drivers now who are not satisfied to simply drive the car but they must also be doing something else at the same time. Like being on the phone, texting, drinking coffee, eating, applying makeup or organising paperwork. I recently saw a woman negotiating a junction with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

My daughter lives in a sizeable estate consisting of mainly younger people and lots of small children. The entrance is marked with two stone pillars leading into a short avenue which then opens out into the estate proper. Once you turn to pass through those pillars you face many potential hazards, pedestrians, traffic, children playing etc. so naturally it requires care and attention.

If you took the time to sit at this entrance for a short time on any day of the week you would age considerably. The speed at which the majority of cars pass through this spot is frightening and the lack of awareness of potential danger is astonishing. And that lack of awareness seems to be everywhere.

From my own personal observations, I would have to suggest that the majority of the offenders would appear to be young people. The main offences are speed, lack of awareness and lack of concentration. Young drivers think they are invincible and totally incapable of making an error of judgement.  So what can we do to change their attitude?

Police drivers are trained in the UK and Ireland using a system of car control based on defensive driving, basically trying to identify potential hazards and taking appropriate action to prevent an accident. One aspect of this training is what is termed “Running Commentary”.  This, I think could make a valuable contribution to road safety and a better standard of driving if it was to be introduced as a part of driving instruction for all drivers.

So what is it? Well it is what it sounds like. The driver will be told by his instructor at a point in the journey to give a commentary on what is happening around him. This commentary lasts for a few miniutes at a time and the driver must describe what he sees. That includes the condition of the road, speed, weather conditions, the amount of traffic, road signs, concealed entrances and any potential dangers that can be identified.

It can feel a little awkward in the beginning but you soon get used to it and after a little practice it becomes second nature. When the training is over there is no longer a requirement to carry out this running commentary but it stays with you. Many trained drivers will tell you that they still use the defensive driving system even in their private cars and the running commentary goes on in the background, silently in the mind. Watching for hazards, anticipating danger and being prepared for it.

It wouldn’t cost anything to introduce this but it could be priceless.

You are very welcome to my blog. Let me introduce myself. I am a recently retired police sergeant living in the seaside town of Cobh just outside Cork City in Ireland. During my career I was primarily involved in community policing but I was also involved in a couple of EU projects looking at crime prevention and diversity in policing both of which took me to various parts of Europe. Issues regarding policing are subjects close to my heart so I will mention them from time to time.

I spent a little over a year in Cyprus on a peace keeping mission with the United Nations. Working alongside so many different nationalities was fascinating and I loved every miniute of it so that’s also something I will prattle on about from time to time, along with anything else that annoys, irritates, displeases or frustrates me.

Something that makes me very happy however, is my little eighteen month old grandson, Cooper, and I will be describing some of his exploits and any other topics he might suggest. (He’s very advanced.)

I enjoy writing and I contribute articles to various publications but the main objective of this blog is to hopefully be a little entertaining. If I can generate a smile or even a little grin then it will have been worth the effort.

I hope you enjoy your visit and feel free to let me know if you don’t. It’s difficult to offend me so don’t worry.