Road Safety Awareness Week 16-22nd November

Road safety isn’t just about teaching kids to Stop, Look and Listen, we all have a part to play in keeping ourselves and other road users safe. Dogs do not have natural road sense, and it only takes a second for a flighty dog to get spooked and dart into the road, or a dog to lose their focus and chase a squirrel, for an accident to happen.

Some breeds may be more prone to chasing and interacting with cars than others. I’m sure we’ve all come across the loose farm collie that comes charging at the wheels and snapping at the tyres. They are expressing their natural instinct to herd, which in this context could be disastrous.

There are some simple ways in which we can keep ourselves, our dogs and other road users safe.

Walking roadside

• Keep your dog on a secure, short lead to keep full control. Even the most obedient dogs can stray sometimes, and it’s simply not worth the risk of them being off lead or on an extendable lead. As well as potentially being injured themselves, they could cause an accident as the driver tries to avoid hitting them.

• It is also useful to teach them commands to control how they approach crossing the road, the last thing anyone wants is for an over-eager dog to dart out into oncoming traffic. To encourage a safe road crossing, instruct your dog to “sit” and “wait”, then when it is safe to do so, use a command such as “go” to cross the road. Reward their efforts with a tasty treat and some fuss.

• De-sensitise your dog to other road users, such as cyclists and horse riders so that they’re less likely to be reactive when these pass by.

• Ensure that you and your dog are visible, this is particularly important at this time of year when you’re more likely to be walking in low light. Light coloured clothes are the minimum consideration, however a high-vis jacket/vest is recommended. There are lots of options for your dog too, including high-vis harnesses, collars and leads or those with reflective strips. You can even get flashing light-up collars, which are both funky and practical!

• Avoid walking out from between cars where you may not be easily spotted.

• Ensure that your dog is wearing a collar with a tag that has contact details on it, that their microchip details are up to date and that they’re insured. That way you’re covered for any accidents and if they should dart off it will be much easier to get you reunited.