Keep your eyes on the road and the phone hands-free
"Pulled on to Great South Rd, Takanini heading to the Southern Motorway to work this morning at 6.45," write Mihi. "I pass the next street on my left (Challen Close) and a yellow Suzuki Swift (driven by a young woman, mid 20s to early 30s) pulls in behind me (I'm in a Toyota Vitz). With her mobile to ear, Suzuki has a chat. Takes 5 minutes to get to the on-ramp - still chatting. Ends call, then decides to check text and respond to it. All this with eyes downcast behind me. I pause before moving forward in the hope that someone will sneak into the widening gap - but she pulls up behind me; again texting."
Isn't a near miss a near hit?
"Why do they call it a near 'miss?' By definition this literally means actually being hit/struck by something. Surely we wouldn't report to a health and safety officer that 'the crate fell off the shelf and nearly missed me'. Which in turn means that it did indeed hit me. But in the workplace we count each 'near miss' as something that came close to injury but happened to be avoided. Shouldn't this term simply be called a 'near hit?' I would be grateful if somebody could explain this to me."
