Motorbike riders who enjoy taking their dogs for a ride, beware: Do not let the dog stand on the back of the seat if you do not want a ticket.
A man in New Taipei City’s Lujhou District (蘆洲) on Saturday received a NT$300 ticket for letting his dog stand on the back of his motorbike seat while riding to nearby Kuanyin Mountain (觀音山) to get some exercise.
ANONYMOUS REPORT
Accompanying the ticket was a photo taken by an anonymous driver of a car from behind the motorbike who filed a complaint against the driver with the police, saying he was putting the canine in danger.
Police highlighted the standing dog in the photo in red to justify the ticket, given for failing to properly secure the dog to the seat.
INTERNET DISCUSSION
Surprised by the ticket, the man’s daughter posted it and the photo on the Internet, prompting a discussion among netizens. The daughter questioned the legal grounds for the fine, saying that traffic rules only stipulate limits to the weight, height and width of articles on the seat, but dogs are not “articles” and do not impede traffic in any way.
PROPERLY SECURED
In response, Lujhou police said traffic rules state that anything, whether an object or a person, on the seat should be properly seated or secured.
In the case of a dog, it should be secured to the seat with a strap or seat belt, the police said.
They said the ticket was issued based on a complaint lodged by a driver, but indicated that the driver would not receive a cash award for his troubles.
The man who was fined can appeal the ticket, but his chances of prevailing are slim, police said.
The man’s daughter said she was thinking about buying a baby carrier to allow her father to carry the dog on his back the next time he takes his dog for a ride, but she wondered whether the dog, which she said is quite big, would like being tied to its owner’s back.
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