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article_detail
Date Published: 31/03/2022
500 euro fine for unsecured dogs in cars in Spain
The DGT in Spain has advised that all animals travelling in vehicles need to be restrained
While highlighting the dangers of distractions behind the wheel and ramping up penalties for not wearing a seatbelt, after launching its new Traffic Law on March 21, 2022 the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has urged drivers to ensure that pets are securely restrained in cars. In addition to posing a serious risk to motorists, loose dogs in vehicles can result in heavy fines of between 80 and 500 euros if they are found to hinder safety.
Although the traffic regulations don’t have specific requirements for transporting pets, the related article of the Law states that “the driver of a vehicle is obliged to maintain their own freedom of movement, the necessary field of vision and permanent attention to driving, which guarantee their own safety, that of the rest of the occupants of the vehicle and that of other road users”. It goes on to specify that drivers must ensure that animals are safely positioned in the car “so that there is no interference.”
The ambiguity of the regulations creates its own problems, since there are no hard and fast rules about how exactly a dog should be tethered in a car, but the experts generally agree that restraints should be short enough to prevent an animal from moving around, and that harnesses should have two clips for greater security.
Crates should be placed at the rear of the vehicle, and the best safety measure is thought to be the addition of a grid, which fully separates animals from passengers.
The DGT has pointed out that, in the event of a collision, an untethered dog weighing 20kg would represent a missile of 700kg, posing serious danger not only to the animal itself, but also to the driver and passengers.
For this reason, although non-compliance won’t result in any loss of driving licence points, it could hit your pocket hard; motorists can be fined 80 euros if an animal is loose on the floor of a car, and this sanction grows to 500 euros if a dog is found in the driver’s seat.
Image: Guardia Civil
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