Dog safety in car!!

Carcharodon

Was driving to beach today with my dog in the back seat and a thought just popped into my head...

I was wondering are you under any legal requirements to have dog safely secured or in safety compartment.... boot etc

I know this is a a silly question but was just wondering about it, if there was an accident would there legal reprucutions if the dog injured a passanger or does the law view a dog as a potential distraction to a driver....
My dog is very well behaved and just sits there excitedly waiting for walk, so he is no danger in my eyes

Arcadian

He'd be a danger if you had to brake suddenly at speed, even a small dog would turn into a lethal weapon in that situation:eek: Mine travel in plastic carry crates secured to the seat belt.

Sigma Force

Not sure what the law is exactly but any car 'contents' are supposed to be secured in the car as far as I know.
Either way it's so much better to have the dog secured, aside from them going flying in the event of a crash and possibly killing themselves or even a passenger it's a lot handier driving wise, you don't have to keep looking back checking on them so you can concentrate on the road. Also handy for pukey dogs ie a crate.
Options are crate, dog guard (handy but not very secure unless welded to the car) and dog safty belts (very handy for larger dogs).

A well behaved dog will still have no control if you stop suddenly and could really injure themselves even if you brake suddenly never mind a crash. They can hit their wee heads off the dash etc.

If yours sits quietly a wee car harness would be handiest, it's easy to fit and quick once you get the hang of it and the dog doesn't mind, the Hi-Craft ones are good they have a wee swivel so the dog can stand up and turn around.

Carcharodon

Guineapigrescue wrote:

Not sure what the law is exactly but any car 'contents' are supposed to be secured in the car as far as I know.
Either way it's so much better to have the dog secured, aside from them going flying in the event of a crash and possibly killing themselves or even a passenger it's a lot handier driving wise, you don't have to keep looking back checking on them so you can concentrate on the road. Also handy for pukey dogs ie a crate.
Options are crate, dog guard (handy but not very secure unless welded to the car) and dog safty belts (very handy for larger dogs).

A well behaved dog will still have no control if you stop suddenly and could really injure themselves even if you brake suddenly never mind a crash. They can hit their wee heads off the dash etc.

If yours sits quietly a wee car harness would be handiest, it's easy to fit and quick once you get the hang of it and the dog doesn't mind, the Hi-Craft ones are good they have a wee swivel so the dog can stand up and turn around.

Thanks for advice, must look into those things further, he is a big dog and very well behaved in car but sits up alot and has fell a bit forward a couple of times, nothing major at all, but if there was a sudden stop he could hurt himself i am afraid

DirkVoodoo

We had our dog in the car the other day, when my mum said she 'must get him one of those doggie seat belts'.

I thought she was joking for a minute, but she said there is (maybe) a law coming in soon that will require dogs to be secured. Dont ask me how this would work for irish wolfhounds and other large dogs, my mother may have imagined this law.

But sure, google it for more info.

Alun

If I were you I'd be thinking about the prospects of several 10's of kg of dog speeding into the back of your head at 50mph in the case of a crash rather than asking yourself whether you'd get a fine or penalty points if you were caught. In the end it doesn't matter whether it's a dog, a child or a toolbox, if it's unsecured in the case of a crash, it'll carry on travelling forward at whatever speed you were travelling at the time. 5th Gear did a program on it a while ago, and you'd be surprised at what even something as innocent as a briefcase on the back seat can do to a crashtest dummy in the drivers seat in the case of a crash.

hadook

My great dane has her own car harness and seat belt - it's not that hard to secure a big dog in the back of a car.

SuzyS1972

Halfords sell harnesses.
I got 2 great ones in a pet store on Camden Street for €12 - they are terrier size but I'm sure they come in bigger and smaller sizes.

Would never travel with an unsecured dog in my car .

damo605

To hell with legal requirements - If just once you have to brake hard it could be a death sentence for your dog.... My dog used to travel around on the front passenger seat until one day I was pulling out of a junction and then I suddenly seen a car coming so I hit the brakes (We were only doing about 5 mph) and she flew off the seat and into the dash!
She was okay but any faster and it could have been curtains....
Solution - It was a hatchback so got a dog guard and got her used to travelling in the back and then when she got too big for it I went and bought an estate
Woodies in Cork have RAC doggie belts for about 14/15 euro for large dogs and even proper dog guards aren't that expensive so there's really no excuse!

FranknFurter

I think personally any animal in a car should be restrained no matter how obedient they are.
All it takes is one tiny thing spooks them they may jump in your lap and cause a major accident, possibly killing the animal, you, your children and other road users.

Imagine if it happened and you hit a mother with her child, or a group of kids, or adults, somones mam, somones dad, brother or sister.
You, your familly and their familly would have to live with that for the rest of your life. And you, would spend years in prison.
All for the sake of a 15 euro doggy seatbelt.

Doggie seatbelts ftw

http://www.petdoorsonline.co.uk/acatalog/Car_Harnesses.html

B