Man’s best friend might be your driving license’s worst enemy! Driving with your dog’s head out the window could land you a fine, or ban

It’s a sight that makes many of us smile and feel that sense of second-hand joy, but letting your dog hang its head out the window could cost you your driving licence. 

There’s a slightly ambiguous rule of the Highway Code that means that drivers who don’t adequately restrain their pet while driving could be in real hot water. Allowing a dog to place its head outside of the vehicle is a sure fire way to demonstrate that the animal is not sufficiently secured and is therefore likely to result in a driver being pulled over.

Rule 57 states that: “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 safely restraining animals in cars.”

If a driver is stopped and found to be not following this guidance, they can face on-the-spot fines to a maximum of £5,000, up to nine points on their licence, and even a full ban and compulsory retest. 

Our founder, Nick Zapolski, said many drivers are not aware of Rule 57 and are therefore vulnerable to losing their licence.

“It always raises a smile when you see a happy dog with its head hanging out the window, ears flopping in the wind, but it’s an obvious way to demonstrate that you aren’t following Rule 57 – and that could cost you your licence.

“And it’s not just that – in the event of an accident, an unrestrained dog could do serious damage to itself and the people in the car. It’s cheap and simple to get a seatbelt for your dog or a dog guard for the boot – and can save a lot of heartache.”

To help encourage drivers to buckle up their hounds, ChooseMyCar has put together a gallery of cute canines travelling safely in their vehicles.

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