Drivers could soon be penalised for not having their pets restrained in their cars. That will be the 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 fined $35 if caught with an unrestrained pet while driving and now a pilot scheme has been launched in Co 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 for a driver, we need people to belt up the whole family, including the pets,” said Mr Gibbons.
“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 in the car, 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 have often encountered angry, disorientated animals at the scenes of car accidents, which can delay medical attention for the 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, hurt and scared, gets protective of its human and won't permit the emergency workers into the vehicle to assist, sometimes going so far as biting.”
At crash time, a 27kg dog riding unsecured in a vehicle will be transformed into a 1,224kg projectile if a wreck happens at just 55 kmph.
Now, road safety organisations have team up with Petworld – which forms part of the Horkans Group in Sligo, Galway, Athlone and Mayo – with safety restraints being offered 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.
