Our dogs are our inseparable friends. For this reason, it is common for us to want to take them with us when we go on a trip. Apart from the holidays, there are other daily moments in which our pet will have to get in the car: from going to the vet to accompanying you on a day of shopping or going out to eat. For all these reasons, it is imperative to know how to correctly carry the dog in the car, both for its safety and to avoid fines.
According to statistics from the Directorate General for Traffic, one in five users carries their pet in the car without any protection system. 87% use restraint systems; 11% place the animal in the trunk, separated from the occupants, but without adequate restraint and protection; while 1% carry the animal loose in the vehicle or in the arms of an occupant.
Article 18 of the General Traffic Regulations establishes that "the driver of a vehicle is obliged to maintain his own freedom of movement, the necessary field of vision and permanent attention to driving, which guarantee his own safety, that of the rest of the vehicle occupants and other road users. For these purposes, he must take special care to maintain the proper position and that the rest of the passengers maintain it, and the proper placement of the objects or animals transported so that there is no interference between the driver and any of them.
In this way, taking the dog loose in the car can entail a penalty of 80 euros, which would go up to 500 if the animal is in the driver's compartment. The dog must be properly secured to prevent it from hindering driving and preventing its own damage and damage to other people in the event of an accident.
Within this premise, one of the recommended ways to take a dog in the car is inside the carrier. This should go on the floor, behind the front seats. If it is a large dog, it can go in the trunk with the carrier in a transverse position to the direction of travel and properly secured so that it does not move in the event of an impact. In addition, it is advisable to install a grid that separates the area where the carrier is from the rest of the boot space.
You can also carry the dog in the rear seats held in a double fastening harness and the relevant seat belt. Always making sure that he cannot move freely inside the vehicle, for which it is useful to use a grid or separation net with respect to the front seats.
The General Traffic Regulations do not mention this matter, but you can receive a sanction in accordance with article 18 mentioned above if the fact that your dog is leaning out of the window hinders your driving or endangers the safety of users.
In addition, this practice is dangerous for the animal, since it can hit something or get an external agent such as an insect or dust into its eyes, mouth or ears.
