Dog's must now be belted in to the car ??

crotalus667

I just got a call from some one who spotted this on the front of a paper (not sure which one) i can find it onlne , can any one shen some light on this ???

R P McMurphy

Heard about this this morning on the radio, also said cats should be belted in (how?)

crotalus667

R P McMurphy wrote: »

Heard about this this morning on the radio, also said cats should be belted in (how?)

I would assume either a crate or harness , any of the dog harness I have ever had have all stated that they are not to be relied on in an accident , they are only really made restraining the dog so he cant move about

seamus

What radio station was that?

I know this has been standard practice in the UK for a number of years - if the dog is not in the boot, they must be strapped in.

To strap a dog into the car you can get harnesses which either clip into the belt clip or which loop around the seatbelt strap. I imagine the same things exist for a cat (best of luck though).

Be interested to see what legislation this falls under. Have they produced a new Road Traffic Act?

crotalus667

seamus wrote: »

Be interested to see what legislation this falls under. Have they produced a new Road Traffic Act?

It would prob be the same as carrying goods / unsafe load's

statto25

crotalus667 wrote: »

It would prob be the same as carrying goods / unsafe load's

Today FM news have a piece on it in their 12.45 news.
Newsreader said it was in Mayo. I bet its Noel Gibbons, the man who wants bicycles to have numberplates.

Sundew

Our cat gets travel sick and quite distressed when in his travel basket. We usually put his lead/harness on but allow him to sit on the back window.
He likes to show off to all the other drivers
Wonder was my cat seen over the last few days in the back window. seems to raise more eyebrows then dogs, thats for sure!
P.s: I'm well aware of the risks of carrying unbelted animals in the car!

kildareash

It's a pilot scheme being run in Mayo. Not a bad idea tho...for pet's safety also. The story is in today's Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fines-on-the-way-for-drivers-who-dont-belt-up-their-pets-2363475.html
Fines on the way for drivers who don't belt up their pets

DRIVERS could soon be penalised for not having their pets restrained in their car.
That will be case if Ireland follows California's lead and makes it illegal to have a pet on your lap while driving. Motorists in the US state are hit with a $35 (€25) fine if they are caught with an unrestrained pet and now a pilot scheme has been launched in Mayo aimed at getting motorists to belt up their animals.
Mayo County Council road safety officer Noel Gibbons said loose animals in a car posed a real threat to safety.
"Any passenger can be a distraction and we need people to belt up the whole family, including pets," Mr Gibbons said. "An unrestrained dog or cat in the car during travel can be a hazardous distraction to a driver.
"Even if your pet is well behaved, you still have to consider your pet's safety should another driver cause you to slam on your brakes or get into a collision," he added.
And the danger does not sit solely with the driver, as emergency services often encounter angry animals at the scenes of car accidents, which can delay medical attention for injured parties.
"Maybe the dog escapes through a broken window and dashes into traffic, causing more collisions and very often getting killed," said Mayo paramedic Damien Feeney.
"Or maybe the dog gets protective of its human and won't permit the emergency workers into the vehicle to assist."
Now, road safety organisations have teamed up with Petworld to offer safety restraints at reduced prices in their stores for the coming week as part of a pilot scheme aimed at getting motorists to belt up their animals.

Owen

My dog comes out working with me somedays, and she'd get seriously distressed if we strapped her in. We've tried it before, and she got terrified. I'll risk tickets thanks, she's already in the boot with a dog guard, and I drive like a parent of a newborn with her in with me.

seamus

It doesn't appear as though there's any law in place here.

Someone - the article doesn't say who - thinks that it should be the law and the paper has run with this to say that there are "Fines on the way".

The pilot scheme being launched in Mayo will involve selling restraints to drivers and nothing more.

Gotta love the Indo - no content there whatsoever.

Tbh, I think this is something which is probably a no-brainer but will see plenty of opposition from random groups. If it ever is made law, we'll adjust to it quickly and carrying an unrestrained animal in the passenger compartment of the car will be unheard of very quickly.

In cases like PaintDoctor's, I imagine it will be perfectly legal to carry the animal unrestrained in the boot of the car, though I would be inclined to put some sort of impact-absorbing padding against the seat wall.

kildareash

I too carry dogs in the boot of the car. Bring their bed with them for extra comfort and security. They pretty much sleep all the way - well the longest journey I've done is about 20mins - and then the second I turn off the engine their little heads pop into my rear view mirror. So cute!
I wldnt mind restrainig them in the car, but not sure how I wld do it in the boot. I did get one of this grids but I've a hatchback and it was only suction cupped on either end. May have another luck at securing it better.
As they are only pups, it shldnt take them too long to get used to it.

liquoriceall

I always put my dog into his 'ruffrider' harness cost about E40 off the internet and is tested to human safety standards and much as he hates it Id hate it much more if he went through the windsreen if I was rearended or had to make an emergency stop (I drive slowly when hes with me but unfortunately there are a lot of idiots out there)

sambuka41

For the love of god :mad:

They really dont want people on the roads,between tax,insurance, NCT, theory tests, driving tests, mandatory lessons before sitting the test, having to have a fully licensed driver in the car at all times, random breathalyser tests, points for speeding, talking on phone, fine for no seat belts and now this, its not safe to be in a car. And no i dont mean the driving I mean the constant harassment from the Gardai and government.

Gone is the day when you can just pop in your car for a drive on a Sunday afternoon, now we must prepare for battle:mad::mad::mad: I dont drive with my dog alone, she usually sits on the floor of the passenger seat with my boyfriend holding her but nooooo thats not good enough anymore. :rolleyes:

(I might be a little extra sensitive to this as i have recently changed cars and am battling for a licence.:p)

olaola

Is this not the law already?

Not only is it dangerous to have a dog wandering around the car while you're driving, but if you are in an accident that dog will become a high velocity projectile. And not only will it be catapulted through your windscreen, it will probably break your neck en route.

Our dog is kept in the back of an estate car with a grill between her and the passenger compartment.

boxerly

every so often aldi and lidl do pet stuff,I got car harnesses there for the dogs.Ive two boxers which weigh 36 and 39 kgs,If there was a crash they would do serious damage flying around the car and could kill one of us let alone themselves.There is a loop on them that the seatbelt goes through,my dogs dont mind at all

Zapperzy

I think it should be law. Iv said it before but my aunt and her boyfriend were involved in an accident and their rather large springer spaniel x shot forward from the backseat and hit her boyfriend on the back of the head, think it gave him a concusion. Having an unrestrained dog (or cat) in the car is like having a child in the car, in an accident they turn into projectile missiles.

rua327

This is common sense. It restrains them and ensures that they don't kill you in the event of an accident. "The one without the seatbelt did the damage" and all that... We have a chest harness which plugs into the seatbelt "female" part. Job!

Chris_Heilong

We need a place were we can complain about stupid laws being introduced, how many accidents each year are caused by animals being in the car????:mad:

kylith

My brother was in an accident when his dog was unrestrained in the car. Thankfully both were uninjured but now the dog panics when he gets in the car. If I'm taking mine on a short trip they go in the passenger footwell, any longer than about 30 minutes and they go in their boxes which get tied down with seatbelts on the back seat.

kildareash

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

We need a place were we can complain about stupid laws being introduced, how many accidents each year are caused by animals being in the car????:mad:

You wouldn't leave a child unrestrained in a car, so why your pet?
I think it's just common sense really.

drongal

Hi
A year ago Gardai on the check point told me that you should use belt for my dog. I have asked him if the law say anything about that. He said no, but i should do this for my and my dog safety.

I have tested around 4 or 5 types. What i can suggest is belt from "Cllix". Easy to use and i takes me less than 30s to belt him. You can find them on ebay.

drongal

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

We need a place were we can complain about stupid laws being introduced, how many accidents each year are caused by animals being in the car????:mad:

You never know when your dog decide to jump on you when you will be driving...

barbiegirl

I agree with the just makes sense briggade. Sindy is in a harness that the seat belt just loops through whenever we go out. Does she like it? No. Does she hate it? No. It's just a fact of life.
In an accident, she can get hurt, she can hurt us, or if help is required from emergency services she could hurt them when scared. Also she could cause the accidents by deciding that the driver has to play. Plus it allows us to pull down the window for her, and her to look out without us worrying about her jumping out after something that catches her interest. Also as I drive a convertible we can take the hood down and she looks very cute sitting up the back seat and I know she is safe.
Either in the boot with a guard to keep her from the passenger areas or in a harness is just common sense.

tk123

drongal wrote: »

What i can suggest is belt from "Cllix". Easy to use and i takes me less than 30s to belt him. You can find them on ebay.

+1 this is the one we have and it's made very well - the one I had before was like a strap that when on his chest and two staps looped thru that - they always used to fall out etc and drive me insane! :rolleyes: Our guy is always belted in - it takes all of 30s to put the harness on him. When he see the harness his tail wags and he runs to the door because he knows we're going somewhere!:pac:

Ash.J.Williams

statto25 wrote: »

Today FM news have a piece on it in their 12.45 news.
Newsreader said it was in Mayo. I bet its Noel Gibbons, the man who wants bicycles to have numberplates.

ha this guy?
http://www.castlebar.ie/General/Road_Safety_Song_Contest.shtml

toadfly

I don't understand why people have a problem with this, it is to ensure the safety of you, your pet and any passengers that may be in the car too.

Its a no brainer.

Ash.J.Williams

A girl stopped in front of me the other day at a red light, and her big dog started licking her face, funny but i'm sure it's distracting!

wolfpawnat

A dog running around the car is a danger. If they are harnessed, give them a window seat, they can look out and leave the window ajar, my two adored that, though the cocker was always in the boot with guard up.

I also believe the dog being on the floor between someones legs is ok. As they are not free to be flung around the car if there is an accident.

We have to think of thm and us, they can get badly injured and thats noy fair on them. We as owners need to take responsibility for their safety!

Aurum

I bought one of these seat belts for my dog http://www.petcentreonline.co.uk/ecommerce/ProdImages/BELT.jpg

I bought it in Baumanns in Stillorgan for about €7. We used to keep her in the boot with a guard, but she's a lot happier being nearer to us, and is much more secure while still being able to move around a bit and look out the window. To not restrain your dog in some way is just dangerous, for both you and for your dog.

IvySlayer

R P McMurphy wrote: »

Heard about this this morning on the radio, also said cats should be belted in (how?)

Hahaha. Seriously how is that possible? Not only would you lose an eye and several fingers, the cat would be hiding and won't approach you for days!

Clare Bear

I've had my JRT in one for ages now, I used to put him in his crate but that was a lot of hassle taking it in and out of the car and took up a lot of room, the harness is great. If I was ever in a crash I'd never forgive myself if he got hurt or killed (not to mention hurting or killing me!) It wasn't that long ago when people didn't have to be strapped in, in years to come we'll probably just see it as second nature. It's no hassle really to strap your dog in. The harnesses are at a discount price at the moment at Pet World if anyone is interested.