A recent heart-breaking case of a driver who was distracted by his dog while driving and fatally injured a 77-year-old woman has been reported in many news outlets over the weekend.
Whilst we don’t know the facts or details of the case, it has been reported that the 37-year-old driver took his eyes off the road when his unrestrained Weimaraner started to move around in the back of the vehicle. Seconds later, he hit a taxi that was parked at the side of the road, that was collecting a 77-year-old woman and her 80-year-old husband. The lady died later in hospital and her husband suffered fractures to his pelvis and leg and a deep cut to his forehead.
The heartbreak of such a horrific accident can only be imagined, for everyone concerned.
The driver pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed on June 23rd for 24 weeks, with a 64-week driving ban.
Detective Constable Chris Taylor, who led the investigation, said:
“[the owner} was fatally distracted because he hadn’t appropriately restrained his dog when he set off on his journey.
“I only hope that what happens serves as a warning to other pet owners about the potential consequences of failing to secure their animals when they are using the road.”
As dog owners, I’m sure we can understand how easily this could happen and can only imagine the heartbreak that the driver, victims and anyone else involved must have felt.
Our focus since the company was founded over 30 years has been to keep pets, drivers, passengers and the public safe, by raising public awareness of the dangers of driving with unrestrained pets. MIMsafe continues to invest in innovative and safe pet transportation options.
In order to maximise the safety of your dog, your passengers and yourself in the event of an accident, we recommend only using a fully crash tested form of restraint, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to safely restrain your pet using a crash-tested crate or dog guard. Our VarioBarrier dog guards (https://mimsafeuk.com/variobarrier/), that are fully crash tested to protect all passengers and prevent distraction of the driver, start at only £123. Alternatively, if you would prefer a harness, our crash tested All-Safe Harness is available from £59.99 onwards (https://mimsafeuk.com/product/allsafe-harness/)
Please everyone, stay safe. Restrain your dogs and don’t let this happen to you.
