Thank you, security; pumped up; children on loose; Despair on the M50

I LOST my phone at security in Dublin Airport on Monday and didn’t realise it until I’d gone 100 metres towards the gate. Such an awful, awful feeling. I galloped back, gripped by panic.

The security staff responded immediately. No sign. They kept searching. Then Dave came waving it in delight; a passenger had found it.

Bless every one of you. I wish all the people one meets on one’s travels, in the air and on the road, were like that. Life on the go would be so much more enjoyable.

Speaking of which, I’ve spent a lot of time on the move these past weeks, some of it at service stations.

I’d say if you have 20 minutes to observe people at these junctures, you’d learn a lesson in how not to be mannerly.

They park in disabled bays, leave cars abandoned at fuel-pump slots while they sit down and snack or bring little Johnny to the toilet (fine on their time, not mine) and stop for chips afterwards.

All the while, those of us in need of fuel in a hurry are not just left waiting but anxiously competing for an empty slot.

And then there is the quick getaway and the false apologies for keeping you.

A little thought, such as not leaving your car at a fuel pump, would speed up everyone’s lives. It’s called basic manners.

Have you noticed how crammed some cars have been this summer/autumn with, believe it or not, children, and not all strapped in either, if my eyesight (and that of passengers) is to be believed?

Come on, it’s criminal to have a child loose in a car, and I don’t care if it’s only for a kilometre or two. Lots of accidents happen near home.

I despair of the M50. The slightest accident and there’s an instant 5km tailback. Why?

Opel says it is “WLTPready” with all its passenger cars. That means its cars have been put through the new test and the consumption and emissions figures are based on that, so they’re up to date.

But Volkswagen in Europe says just half its existing models have gained type approval under the latest emission regulations, following delays in a new certification process.

From last Saturday, all new cars sold have to meet the new regulations as part of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).

But Volkswagen in Europe is reportedly waiting for type approval for several models. It says the new tests take two to three times longer. Even limited-edition models have to be tested separately.