Would you/do you drive with a dog on your knee?

[SingingSands]

I have a neighbour who does this all the time. Just seen him go past again with his dog on his knee. She's a spaniel, very obedient, but still... this is mad isn't it?!

no, so dangerous

It’s illegal!

It’s stupid, dangerous and illegal. The law says dogs must be suitably restrained while travelling in a car.

Absolutely not! My dog is behind a dog guard whenever we are in the car because she's liable to dash about barking if we pass another dog (or horse, sheep, bullock, person cycling, anyone carrying anything...etc etc) and she'd be a nightmare on my lap.

What would happen if the spaniel suddenly jumped at the window, barking?

No! I do drive with mine on the front passenger seat though but he’s fully restrained in a harness. I drive a camper van so no room for a crate in the back and he gets car sick anyway so would hate it.

The law states ddog must be appropriately secured. Crate - crash tested one because they aren't all. Or harness and seat belt attachment..

Nope, dog is always harnessed and strapped in with one of those seatbelt restraints. Plenty room to move around and enjoy herself, without enough room to cause a hazard.

No my dog always goes in the back set in a kind carrier thing with a seatbelt attached to his harness.

He's very besotted with her - you'd think he'd want to keep her safe in that case.

I'm surprised he's not been caught actually, maybe he's just doing short local journeys. Still, bad enough.

Yes, but only driving on my own land from the house to the stables.

Here she is, waiting for me.

I see this quite often along with women with a large tote bag on their knees. So the bag is between them and the steering wheel. But the dog thing is crazy. If you are in a crash and the airbag goes off where do you think the dog is going to go? It will be crushed by you and the airbag poss causing injury to the driver. Also the dog may be distracting the driver.

No, but then I'm not an idiot!!

Apart from how unsafe he is on the road driving like that does he not realise that in an accident his dog will be killed?? It wouldn't even need to be much of an accident.

how old is the man??

someone NEEDS to make him see sense!!

fuck my days people are SO stupid!!

No. She’s always clipped in.

A driver in my local city crashed their car recently because the unrestrained puppy in the car lept onto the driver's knee.

No because I have a brain. A brain that I'd rather keep within my skull, rather than splattered around a car by my dog that has just become a missile during a crash!

nuts. Though I have seen people driving with a baby on their lap which is in the properly crazy category

Illegal and dangerous. A loose item, person, dog, in the car, in the event of an accident can become a missile of sorts and cause damage / be damaged /injured. We followed a car just last week, where the children were not belted in and if the car had stopped quickly.... then you can guess what might happen and they were also a distraction, one that could have got the car pulled over by the police. Value the item, where animal or mineral, strap it down!

Is it a guide dog?

It's also against the law.
Rule No. 57 of the Highway Code.
"make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained in a vehicle"; harnessed, caged or crated.
Not a pretty sight if dog distracts the driver, and/or an accident occurs with an unsecured animal in the car.

😂😂😂

Just had a row with a woman in the car park about this - she couldn't see the problem!!!!

I've seen people driving with a toddler on their dashboard before now! More than once!!

Absolutely not! Apart from it being illegal it is, frankly, stupid.
My dogs are in a crate in the boot. They can look out the windows or lay down. They are happy, as safe as I can make them and they don’t distract me.