It’s a fact. We are a nation of animal lovers, and quite right too. Research from uSwitch.com has revealed that 69 percent of drivers say their pets join them in their car travels, this means for those not aware of the law regarding pets in vehicles, they could be at risk of getting a fine and possibly even invalidating their car insurance.
Now, this might seem obvious but, the only thing you should be concentrating on when driving is, well, driving. Having your pet running around in the car with you takes your concentration away from the road and thus makes an accident a possibility. If an animal was freely roaming around in your car when an accident occurred and was found to have contributed to the cause of the accident, then your insurance company is within their right the invalidate your claim.
According to the Highway Code, rule 57 reads “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.”
Essentially, drivers who don’t restrain their animals (notably dogs and cats) whilst on the move are not only breaking law, they could also see their insurer not paying out if they were involved in an accident. At the end of the day, your family pet is just that, one of the family and you wouldn’t allow your child to be unrestrained in a moving vehicle for fear of what could happen in the event of an accident. You should do the same for your pet.
Now you know the risk, how can you solve the problem?
The Highway Code suggests; “A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.” – it’s that simple, now go and use those keywords to find a suitable solution for your pets’ car travels!
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