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A recent survey has revealed that just half of drivers are transporting their four-legged friends in a legally correct manner. The survey was conducted by Skoda who questioned thousands of dog owners. One in ten drivers admitted they had never secured their dog properly in the car, with 51 per cent following the guidelines and 14 per cent only following occasionally.

The Highway Code has issued guidance for drivers when it comes to transporting pets in the car.

It warns: “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.

“A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.”

Skoda also shockingly discovered that 44 per cent of owners were unaware of the current laws around travelling with a dog in the car.

The survey was conducted amongst 2,000 dog owners.

The rules are in place to prevent dogs from distracting the driver or causing injury to themselves or others.

Motorists could land an on the spot fine as a result of the simple mistake.

Car expert Mark Tongue at Select Car Leasing, told The Mirror: “Most dog owners will know they need to keep their pet suitably restrained when they’re in a car, as stipulated by the Highway Code.

“Whilst not particularly recommended – dogs should generally be in the backseat or boot for their own safety.

“You should only ever have your dog by your side while driving if you’re able, and know how, to disable the front passenger airbag, as some vehicles don’t actually have an override function.

“Failing to disable the airbag could result in catastrophic injuries for a dog. An airbag is designed to provide protection for a human, not a canine, and the cushioning is simply in the wrong place.

“When an airbag deploys it does so with so much force it could even crush a dog cage.”

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Tongue adds that if you are considering carrying your dog in the front of your car, be sure to move the seat as far back as it will go, minimising the risk of the dog striking the glovebox or windscreen during a collision.

“We’d recommend you don’t let your dog stick its head out of the window,” he explains.

“Not only does that potentially illustrate that the animal is not restrained properly, there’s also the obvious risk of its head coming into contact with something, like a bush or a tree, resulting in a bad injury.And make no mistake – if you don’t have your dog properly restrained, and it’s causing distraction, you could be prosecuted by the law.”

Research by Dogs Trust discovered that 76 percent of dogs have no training on how to behave in a car, while only 60 percent believe that having an unrestrained dog in the car is dangerous.

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