A paws for thought
As any dog owner will know, taking your four legged friend on a long walk is one of the greatest pleasures in life. But next time you take Bouncer to explore a hidden beach or forest miles from your home, make sure you’re aware of a lesser known part of the Highway Code. Or you could end up with a £5,000 fine.
Rule 57 of the highway code states:
“When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.”
So if a police officer happens to see you driving along with your furry friend unrestrained and sticking his head out the window in true dog fashion… Instead of thinking it’s cute, they might land you with a fine on the spot, which could be anything from £100 to £5,000.
This could all end up quite expensive as research from uSwitch.com found that nearly 70% of drivers travel with a pet in the car, with many of them not knowing about Rule 57.
If the thought of keeping Boucer safe and avoiding a potential £5,000 fine isn’t enough to convince you to get some kind of dog harness, remember that if an unrestrained animal is involved in the cause of an accident somehow, your insurance is unlikely to help you much.
Warnings aside, in other animal news… a snake was found inside a rental van in Scotland the other day. The poor lady who found it slithering over the back seat said she didn’t even like spiders, let alone snakes. What’s even more surprising is that the snake could have been living in the van for 5 months as a gentleman came forward to say he thought it was his pet ‘Mushu’ who went missing when he used a rental van, along with his snake, several months previously. Wonder if the snake had been wearing a seat belt?
Rule 57 of the highway code states:
“When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.”
So if a police officer happens to see you driving along with your furry friend unrestrained and sticking his head out the window in true dog fashion… Instead of thinking it’s cute, they might land you with a fine on the spot, which could be anything from £100 to £5,000.
This could all end up quite expensive as research from uSwitch.com found that nearly 70% of drivers travel with a pet in the car, with many of them not knowing about Rule 57.
If the thought of keeping Boucer safe and avoiding a potential £5,000 fine isn’t enough to convince you to get some kind of dog harness, remember that if an unrestrained animal is involved in the cause of an accident somehow, your insurance is unlikely to help you much.
Warnings aside, in other animal news… a snake was found inside a rental van in Scotland the other day. The poor lady who found it slithering over the back seat said she didn’t even like spiders, let alone snakes. What’s even more surprising is that the snake could have been living in the van for 5 months as a gentleman came forward to say he thought it was his pet ‘Mushu’ who went missing when he used a rental van, along with his snake, several months previously. Wonder if the snake had been wearing a seat belt?
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