Fluffy Dog Becomes Hairy Issue

[poodlefan]

Its an offence in the ACT - Animal Welfare Act 1992

15A Transport of dogs

(1) A person commits an offence if—

(a) the person carries a dog in or on a moving vehicle on a road or

road related area; and

(b) the dog is not being used to work livestock; and

© the dog is not restrained or enclosed in a way that would

prevent the dog from falling or jumping from the vehicle.Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

(2) An offence against this section is a strict liability offence.

(3) In this section:

road—see the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act

1999, dictionary

road-related area—see the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic

Management) Act 1999, dictionary.

http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1992-4...pdf/1992-45.pdf

A penalty unit is $110

That doesn't cover dogs on laps.

How anyone who "loves" their little fluffy could drive with it on their lap is beyond belief.

In a crash the airbag in the steering wheel would kill the dog and potentially embed it in their chest.

Edited March 21, 2011 by poodlefan

[Diva]

No dogs in drivers' laps is in the 2008 changes to the Australian Road Rules I think, which all jurisdictions have agreed to standardise their rules to. There are other rules about the driver being in full control of the vehicle, which is used if a dog is interfering with the driver, and the restraint on a ute tray one which is not, I think, in the national road rules and can therefore differ from state to state.

The local ABC radio has a senior traffic cop come on and take talk back calls from time to time, and this was one of the questions I heard asked of him - he was very clear that there is no law that dogs need to be restrained in cars in the ACT, but they can't be in the driver's lap, be in a position to jump out or fall off, or be travelling in such a way that the driver doesn't have full control of the vehicle.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Diva

[Danois]

Its an offence in the ACT - Animal Welfare Act 1992

15A Transport of dogs

(1) A person commits an offence if—

(a) the person carries a dog in or on a moving vehicle on a road or

road related area; and

(b) the dog is not being used to work livestock; and

© the dog is not restrained or enclosed in a way that would

prevent the dog from falling or jumping from the vehicle.Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

(2) An offence against this section is a strict liability offence.

(3) In this section:

road—see the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act

1999, dictionary

road-related area—see the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic

Management) Act 1999, dictionary.

http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1992-4...pdf/1992-45.pdf

A penalty unit is $110

That doesn't cover dogs on laps.

I agree - it contemplates dogs unrestrained on utes etc.

You would have a defence is you had an unrestrained dog in the car and all the windows were up - there is no risk the dog would fall from the vehicle.