Irish drivers warned over little-known car rule before travelling with pets for summer holidays
IRISH drivers have been warned over a little-known car rule before families head off on summer holidays.
Motorists are being reminded of their legal responsibility to properly restrain dogs when travelling in their
1
Dogs must be properly restrained in Irish cars
Credit: Alamy
This rule exists to reduce driver distraction and to protect both the
The
If involved in an accident or forced to brake suddenly, an unsecured pet could suffer injuries or cause harm to others inside the car.
And road safety bosses said that appropriate restraint systems must be used to secure pets while
READ MORE IN MOTORS
For medium and large dogs, a safety harness that connects directly to the seat belt is considered the safest and most effective restraint.
Small dogs can be transported in a pet carrier, which should be secured with a seat belt or placed on the floor behind a front seat.
And dog guards can be installed in hatchbacks and estate cars to keep your pets confined to the rear section of
When using the boot space, the RSA said it is important to place a rubber mat on the floor to give the dog better grip while the car is in motion.
MOST READ IN MOTORS
Even if a dog is wearing a harness, it should not sit in the front seat as the cars airbags could result in serious injury.
Along with using restraints, the RSA advises drivers to plan for their dogs to take regular breaks on long journeys.
I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is why your friends are failing the test
Dogs should also not be left alone in a car, particularly during warm weather, as temperatures can become dangerous in a matter of minutes.
Drivers who fail to comply with these requirements may face significant fines and penalty points.
Speaking of the warning, Rhydian Jones,
'It's not just about avoiding fines; it's about ensuring the safety of everyone in the vehicle, including your dog.
'Investing in proper restraints is a small price to pay compared to the potential consequences.'
Meanwhile, as the weather gets warmer, drivers are being urged to check their sunglasses' rating when behind the wheel.
Sunglasses have ratings which range from 0 to 4 - with category 4 shades labelled as being 'not suitable for
The most heavily tinted sunglasses should not be worn while driving day or night as they only transmit between 3 per cent to 8 per cent of light, according to
Lenses considered unsuitable for night
A spokesperson for
'Sunglasses with category 3 lenses are best for daytime driving conditions — any higher is considered too dark to drive
'For low light and night-time driving when sunglasses are not suitable, our UltraClear SuperClean lenses help to reduce reflections (such as from signage and street lights) experienced while driving.
'There are also lens treatments you can add to sunglasses and prescription glasses to enhance your comfort and help improve your driving vision.
'These range from polarising lenses to tints that help to improve contrast perception.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major delay warning for Irish drivers following ‘multi vehicle collision' and breakdown of ‘heavy goods vehicle'
DRIVERS on Irish roads have been warned to expect delays this morning following multiple incidents in separate areas. The first incident is a multi Advertisement 3 A multi vehicle crash happened in Naas Credit: tii 3 There were multiple incidents reported this morning Credit: tii The crash occurred on the M7.N7 eastbound between J9 Naas (North) and J8 Johnstown (Johnstown). Lane one and two has been affected. And traffic bosses posted an update on Posting on Advertisement READ MORE ON MOTORS Drivers were told that delays will occur and that they should consider a different route. But they should be warned that alternative routes can also become congested due to the heavy volume of diverted traffic. "When approaching the collision location, drive with caution, reduce your speed and obey instructions from emergency services." Advertisement Most read in Motors Elsewhere in the country, road users have been warned of delays on a busy motorway. The M1 is a continuation of the busy M50 motorway and connects parts of New sign on traffic lights confuses drivers with officials forced to clarify rule – it was all down to the color This morning, the thousands of commuters who use the Traffic bosses reported the breakdown of a heavy goods vehicle at the roundabout at junction two. Advertisement Lane two is affected. They said: "When approaching the breakdown location, reduce your speed and drive with caution. "Minor delays to your journey may occur." CLEAN UP But the rest of the road is clearer than usual this morning following the clear up of two earlier incidents. Advertisement Hours ago, a vehicle breakdown was reported on the M1 near Junction Two at Lane two was affected by the incident. And in a separate location, there was debris on the road causing delays to traffic. This occurred on the red M50 southbound slip to N7. Advertisement Both incidents have been cleared up, leaving the motorway mostly quiet and with mo major delays. There are no reports of major incidents on roads elsewhere in the country. 3 A heavy goods vehicle broke down in Dublin Credit: tii
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Two elderly men rushed to hospital after horror single-vehicle crash involving Range Rover in Co Tyrone as appeal issued
TWO ELDERLY men have been rushed to the hospital following a single-vehicle traffic collision on a busy road in Co Tyrone. The crash, involving a silver Range Rover, occurred in the Ballymagowan Road area of Advertisement The The driver of the vehicle, a man aged in his 80s, and the accompanying passenger, a man in his 90s, were both transported to the It is unknown how severe their injuries from the crash are. The cops reported that the road was closed for a period of time to facilitate emergency services, with local diversions put in place. Advertisement READ MORE ON PSNI The road has now fully reopened since the incident was cleared. The PSNI confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. PSNI Inspector Morton said: "The driver of the vehicle, a man aged in his 80s, and accompanying passenger, a man aged in his 90s, were both transported to hospital for treatment to their injuries. "The road was closed for a time to facilitate emergency services, but has now fully reopened to road users. Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN "Our investigation is underway to determine what happened, and we are especially keen to hear from anyone who has footage of the vehicle in the area prior to, or at the time of the collision." Gardai and RSA measures aimed at driving crash deaths on Irish roads People with information or dash-cam, mobile or other footage are urged to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 995 07/06/25. Separately, two men were hospitalised following The incident, which left both motorcyclists with injuries, occurred on the R415 in Boley Little, Athy Co Advertisement SERIOUS INJURIES One of the men on a motorbike, who is aged in his 20's, was taken straight to Tallaght He is being treated for serious injuries. The second Advertisement He is being treated for injuries believed to be non life threatening. No other injuries were reported from the scene of the collision. The And Advertisement 1 The crash took place in the Ballymagowan Road area of Clogher Credit: Google Streetview
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
People trying to book a driving test facing ‘ridiculous' wait to log in
Some people attempting to book a driving test have had to wait over an hour to log in to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) website amid 'particularly high levels of traffic'. When attempting to access the site in recent days, users have been notified they are in a queue 'due to exceptional demand'. In some cases, people have been told their estimated wait time is more than an hour. One person who attempted to log in to the site described the wait time as 'ridiculous'. A spokesman for the RSA said the organisation has 'experienced particularly high levels of traffic to the booking system' in recent weeks following efforts to tackle the backlog of people waiting to take their driving tests. READ MORE 'This has led to intermittent delays for some users, especially during peak times which we appreciate can be frustrating,' he said. Some people have reported difficulty logging in to the RSA website The spokesman noted that most people are able to log in and complete their booking within an average of 10 minutes. 'However, this can vary depending on a number of factors and variables – including the time of day, the level of traffic on the site, internet connectivity and the device being used,' he said. The spokesman added that the RSA's current focus is on 'reducing waiting times and delivering additional capacity' for driving tests, but there are also plans in place to 'upgrade the booking platform and IT infrastructure once service levels have sufficiently reduced and stabilised'. As of May, around 100,000 learners were waiting to sit their driving test with many people waiting several months to get an appointment. The RSA recently launched an action plan to reduce this wait time to 10 weeks by early September 2025. Measures announced under the action plan include hiring more testers, setting up new driving test centres in key areas to bring the national total to 60 centres, and expanding testing times from 7.25am to 7pm. [ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting times Opens in new window ] The action plan also notes there will be 'targeted manual intervention in the booking system to ensure invitations are issued to areas of greatest demand to ensure more efficient slot allocation'. On Thursday, the RSA said a fall in the average national waiting time for a driving test to just under 21 weeks was 'encouraging early progress'. The average wait was 20.6 weeks as of May 31st, down from 21.4 the previous week, which the RSA said was 'significantly ahead of the forecasted 25 weeks'. It said the reduction reflected the 'pace and focus' with which the RSA had been implementing targeted measures. The waiting time for those booking a driving test varies significantly depending on location, with Tallaght currently having the longest estimated wait time of about 36 weeks.
