Safe Speed Forums

Friday evening at Dusk. Typical Pennine town, terraced houses close to the road at either side. Keeping a very close eye on my speed because there has been a recent forrestation of speed cameras along this road and I don't use the road often so I'm not sure where they are. I'm on my way home after a very nice rabbit and black pudding pie.

Suddely a dog (large, white with black spots but not a Dalmation) dashed from an alley on my right and across my path. It was across the road before I could do more than lift off and cover the brake. Followed by a small round bouncing object which I only caught a glimpse of before it disappeared below the bonnet line. A ball, I assumed. the dog then trotted along the pavement on my left. It looked happily trotting there so I decided to pass.

As I started to pass the animal it suddenly came back across my path. I braked hard and luckily had a clear road in the opposite direction. Even then I was certain I had hit the dog as it disappeared from view around my F/N/S wheel.

I came to a dead stop alongside the right hand kerb, the hazards had activated due to the emergency braking (this is a first for me), the dog stood up took a few steps and laid down in the middle of the road. There was now traffic behind me and the road wass effectively blocked so I back into a sideroad. At this point a very out of breath and shaken dog owner turned up. The animal had been spooked by falling masonry and pulled it's lead from the owners grasp. Checked owner and dog were OK before heading on home.

The object I had mistaken for a ball was the handle on the end of a very long retractable lead. I think this snagged on something or possibly became briefly trapped inder one of my wheels causing the dog to veer round suddenly.

Well done for steering as well as braking. That move almost certainly saved the dog from serious injury. However, did this I wonder increase the risk to the owner?

One thing I've come to realise over the years is that an animal (or a child for that matter) crossing the road either "from out of nowhere" or with a gusto that could be fear-driven, is very often followed by something else. In your case it was the inanimate recoil lead. But, it could have been a distraught 10-year-old trying to catch the dog (or even being dragged by it) or even a grown-up who's concentration/self-preservation has been suspended for a second or so - or deliberately parked trhrough love/bravado - while they try to retrieve or push to safety their spooked charge.

I don't know the area of course, but terraces of houses usually have alley ways (often narrow and dark) every few dwellings. This presents a hazard density higher than perhaps meets the eye, and exacerbated by the lack of distance between the emerging points (ends of the alleys) and the road curtillege.

That was my first reaction, to look for someone connected to the dog but they were nowhere to be seen, if they had been following closely they would have hit the side of my car, the dog passed so near in front. The owner turned up after I had come to a stop, checked around to see I was clear to reverse and pulled into a sideroad, so quite a way behind. But as I was braking and steering I had enough to worry about checking for oncoming traffic, the high kerb at the opposite side of the road and the location of the dog.

I have to say that even though I know about cadence braking and have practiced it in the past I could not have avoided a collision in this case without the aid of ABS. I've had ABS equipped cars for the last seven years and this is the second time it (and not panicking) has saved me from an otherwise certain collision. Being able to simply plant the right foot and concentrate on steering cannot be overrated.

My mistake was to think the danger had passed when the dog crossed the road. But then we see lots of strays or unattended dogs around here, usually they have decent road sense.