Off the leash and behind the wheel: Dog ‘fined’ for speeding

An apparent prank in which a dog was pictured behind the wheel of a Škoda in Slovenia has resulted in one of the most bizarre speeding fines ever handed out in the Central European nation.

Who is driving anyway?

In a post on the Facebook page of the national police operating in the settlement of Trnava, the silver Škoda Kamiq, a twin of the Volkswagen T-Cross, was captured driving at 61 km/h in a 50 km/h zone in the village of Sterusy this past Friday (29 November)

Initially requiring more than a second look for looking like an elaborate trick-of-the-eye, the image that emerged on the speed camera saw the SUV being driven by a “hunting” dog with no human presence noted.

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Stopped soon after by police and subsequently questioned, the 31-year-old unnamed driver claimed his best friend had jump onto his lap moments before entering the area the speed camera was stationed at.

Unsurprisingly, authorities didn’t believe his claims and in addition to the speed fine, charged the driver with failing to properly secure his pet it says could have been restrained using unspecified “protection systems animal owners should definitely use”.

“When transporting a dog, take care of the safety of the animal and the entire crew in the car. Even a small animal can endanger your life and health while driving,” the Facebook post read.

The post did, however, jokingly state that while the canine driver “sat obediently behind the wheel of Škoda, we ruined his hunting plans and ended his wandering around the tent”.

Price of ‘dog cruise’

While the exact nature of the speed fine wasn’t revealed, a quick search revealed that breaching the speed limit in Slovenia by between 11 km/h and 15 km/h carries a fine of €20 or R404.

The driver’s failure to also “secure” his four-legged friend most likely would have attracted the heaviest fine, though no details surrounding this was revealed.

Under normal circumstances, driving without a seatbelt in Slovenia will see motorists having to fork out €120 (R2 428) if caught, with the same applying to children or front passenger not buckled-up.

No further details surrounding the bizarre fine, or indeed if the driver lost his licence, was disclosed.

Article first published by carscoops.com.

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