A couple of months ago I wrote a blog entitled Pot Hole Bingo. This was on the back of the government announcing the release of £420 million to local authorities to help tackle the UK’s growing pothole epidemic.
There have been no noticeable improvements in the three months and I wonder whether the cash was released or maybe put to better use.
It certainly was not spent on the traffic police who have reported not only a reduction in the number of front-line police officers but a shortage, wait for it, of breathalyser kits! The upshot of this has been that the number of deaths from drink driving is on the increase as significantly fewer – in some regions almost 50% – drivers are being breathalysed.
However, there is an initiative underway to raise cash. If you fail to secure your pet whilst driving there is the possibility of a £5,000 being levied. And, if this comes to light whilst you were involved in an accident, there is always the possibility that your insurance could be invalidated.
Leaving aside my increasingly jaundiced view of how motorists are being badly affected by the various cutbacks, the serious point is that, unlike the pothole saga, the safety of your pets, and fellow passengers, is completely within your control.
As well as investing in a suitable harness or dog guard, you should also make sure you carry water and use window shades to ensure your dog stays cool, especially in warmer temperatures.
Never leave a dog locked in the car alone, particularly on warm days when temperatures inside the car can rise rapidly, leaving dogs dangerously overheated in minutes.
I have no idea what will happen when we have driverless cars!
We serve a wide area from Farnham including Tilford, Frensham, Churt, Hazlemere, Hindhead, Headley, Headley Down, Lindford, Bordon, Kingsley, Alton, Crondall, Church Crookham, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnborough, Camberley.
