I recently read this article about a man who accidently hit a dog with his car and is now suing the owner for damages.

After reading quite a few of the same old comments on the story like ‘that guy is a fuckwit’, and ‘how could he miss a dog’ - I say shut up. Shut up until you realise what it is really like to hit a dog.

In March last year, I accidentally hit a dog with my car. It ran out in the middle of the road. I was unable to do anything about it as a car was right next to me and there was another car driving too close behind me. I was distraught. I stopped the car and got out to find it. I was crying - I hit a dog. I love dogs. But when I went to get it, it was gone. I doubt it would have lived for long as the impact should have killed it instantly.

I was unaware as to what the true impact was. I felt horrible for weeks thinking about how I killed this poor dog, someones beloved pet and how they must feel. My guilt soon turned to anger and frustration.

My car is a 2004 Holden Astra. It was only 3 years old. I had regular checkups so everything was running smoothly right up until I hit that dog. My car started making a loud noise and seemed to be shaking when I was idle. I was freaked out, so I took it to get inspected. There was no surface damage to the car so I had expected nothing to be wrong. But it turned out I was very wrong.

The radiator had been completely bent in. The fan was hanging by a thread and the plastic underneath had been completely broken off. Had it not been for insurance I would have had to pay $1700 to fix it. Instead I only had to pay the excess which was $800. And in a low paying job, that is not easy money to come by especially since I had just started working straight out of uni at the time.

Since that time my car had been regularly checked by my mechanic and given the all clear up until April this year when I realised my aircon was not working. My heater was not working. What the fuck was wrong with this car? I had my mechanic take a good hard look at it. It turned out that my car had not been fixed properly and there was a huge crack on the side of the radiator from hitting this dog. Water was apparently dripping everywhere which made my car probably not safe to drive. I wasn’t sure if the repairer were just being lazy or they were unable to see it but nonetheless, my car had to be taken back to be fixed over a year after the incident. I was told to watch the water levels of my car to ensure my car didn’t overheat which it was more prone to doing.

So while it is sad that I killed that dog which can be traumatic for anyone, I was more pissed off that I had to spend money I didn’t have to fix the damage caused, losing my car for a week to be fixed, then having to pay for a mechanic to have a look at it, then having to drop it off again for a week…. To sue the owners for damages is not exactly fair, but it is fair to say that their dog is their responsibility and shouldn’t be wandering around at night. It is not fair to say that drivers who accidentally hit dogs and want some sort of compensation are out of their minds either. Hitting a dog is horrible, yes. But the immense guilt you feel for doing it is not even worth the trouble and expense you go through to fix your car.

I was brought up watching horror movies, thanks to my cousins who constantly were able to hire out such ridiculous movies like Chucky and Halloween. Looking back, I have no idea how our parents were able to know that we were in a room by ourselves watching things that parents would normally protest. Or maybe they had no idea. However, I never really began to truly appreciate and enjoy a good horror movie until roughly ten years ago. I have watched an endless amount of these movies, even my favourites countless times and the only answer I have for why I like horror is I find them truly entertaining and also very funny. So if you’re like me and you like reading about your favourite genre, here is a list of 8 Horror Movie Books that’ll get you on your way.

1.Horror: The Definitive Guide to the Cinema of Fear - James Marriot.

This is a great reference book, both for newbies to the genre and for die-hards. This book provides brief plot summaries to films ranging from the 1930s to 2005 with pictures along the way. There are also great summaries on the turn of the genre as time goes on, contributions to the genre and different traits such as Zombies and Serial Killers.

2. The Encyclopedia of Horror - Richard Davis.

This book is not directly about Horror films, but more about the aspects of Horror itself. It studies creatures such as Vampires and Werewolves and the folklore behind them. It ties them in with the films which makes for interesting reading.

3. Shock! Horror! Astounding Artwork from the Video-Nasty Era - Francis Brewster, Marc Morris, Harvey Fenton.

This book is absolutely fantastic! Page sized posters in alphabetical order by movie title throughout. Filled with banned or censored video covers from the Video Nasty era. There is also vast information about “video nasties” which describes various films at the time and what got them banned in the first place. Very informative and also a great creative inspiration in terms of illustration.

4. The Psychotronic Video Guide to Film - Michael J. Weldon.

There is not only horror films listed in this book, but also sci-fi, fantasy and even porn. A lot more comprehensive than Horror: The Definitive Guide to the Cinema of Fear. This book runs through over 3000 films - some famous and some you may never find. At over 650 pages, it is one of the most complete guides to the weird, wacky and gruesome films.

5. 60 Great Horror Movie Posters - Bruce Hershenson.

Well presented selection of 60 Horror Movie Posters on gloss paper. They are page sized posters so they truly show off their creativity. It is interesting to see the evolution of the posters as time goes on.

6. Nightmare, USA - Stephen Thrower.

One of my absolute favourite books of the genre. Thrower puts together such a comprehensive book on American Horror Films between 1970 - 1985. This is similar in size to a phone book but there is no space wasted here. Every horror movie fan should own this book!

7. Trash: The Graphic Genius of Xploitation Movie Posters - Jacques Boyreau.

Mainly focusing on the different aspects of the exploitation genre, this book is a compilation of the best and the weirdest exploitation movie posters with varying prints throughout. Not exactly the best book out there on the subject, but certainly one of the more interesting ones.

8. Sleazoid Express: A Mind-Twisting Tour Through the Grindhouse Cinema of Times Square - Bill Landis, Michelle Clifford.

At first I was disappointed with this book because it looked like a text book that you would find at any university campus. But as I began to read, I felt that the book truly captured the essence of 42nd Street and the movies that played there. Some find this book tedious with it’s focus on certain movies, however I feel that a lot of the movies brought into focus were certainly some of the most profound and affective. This book is a must read.

To all of the drivers in Perth, whether you have a car and a licence or just a car but still drive anyway - hello. I was on the road this morning at 4:30am. I did not want to be there, I wanted to be home in bed. But well, I was on my way of getting there wasn’t I? Although there was barely anyone on the road I still did the speed limit, indicated where I needed to and stayed between the lines when I was driving.

Getting closer to home, I felt as though I was the teacher who was about to give up on a class of delinquents as another car did at least 30km/h over the limit and sped right past me. By this time I had spent 20 minutes driving and had encountered a woman doing 90km/h in a 70 zone, not indicating and swerving over the road. Four cars with only one headlight working and on their high beams because this will somehow make up for the fact they only have one light working. Two cars racing each other. Three cars getting way too close to my car before overtaking me. Four cars never indicating once to change lanes or exit. Two cars finding it difficult to stay between the lines of their lane. Two cars going far too slow in the right lane. And 90% of the vehicles I encountered were doing at least 20km/h over the speed limit.

It almost sounds like the ‘12 Days of Christmas’. But for mentally incapable people who are able to drive - whether legally or not.

I understand that a lot of this kind of driving goes on in the early morning because there are less cars and there is less of a chance to be picked up by a patrol car - and rather a police car passing through. But it really is no excuse for driving like this. When you get into a car, you put your own life in your hands as well as the hands of others. People seem to forget that last part because their too selfish to think of anyone else but themselves which I think is just sad.

Perth drivers during the day are just as bad, but you don’t get to see them as much because of the car in front of you doing 20km/h under the speed limit for no reason.

I feel some sympathy for P-Platers as I was one of course. They get such a bad wrap in the press and yeah, you do see a lot of them doing stupid things on the road. They are impatient and want to speed - they have a new found sense of freedom and power. But this is just a handful of them. I’ve seen P-Platers drive better than the next person and to my surprise it’s mainly been people over the age of 30 who are the culprits. There was even a survey in The Sunday Times recently that said that the age group most accountable for accidents are between the 30 - 45 range. Of course P-Platers came second, but were quite a fair way away. However that fact was ignored and as a person under 25, I have to continue paying higher insurance even though I’ve never had to make a claim.

I feel implored to suggest that maybe everyone with a valid licence in Perth needs to take a yearly driving course to be updated on the rules and driving courtesy. Even myself. I don’t claim to be perfect, I’ve done stupid things on the road but I learnt my lesson and I’m a better driver for it. Yearly driving courses may cost money, but I would rather pay that money than read about losing another life on the roads due to stupidity and laziness.