There are hundreds of road rules that you can be fined for breaking under the traffic regulations, but this motorist managed to break one very rarely enforced rule.
Pulling the 35-year-old Maroochydore woman over, the officer stated “You know you can’t do that". The rider responded simply “Yeah, no, I didn’t know. I bought this off Temu” pointing to the harness she had the large poodle crossbreed in.
The dog reserved its right to remain silent during the police officer’s interrogation, as the pooch was clearly unlicensed to ride the motorcycle, which had even been modified with a platform for the animal’s paws. However, the motorcyclist was instructed that this practice was actually illegal.
The police officer understood that while the law may have seemed unclear, it is illegal to have the dog in the position it was in. And while, technically, the animal was in the riding seat, the dog owner received a fine for this offence, with the canine skirting a fine for not wearing a helmet.
But did you know that there is a rare road rule for this specific instance?
Is it illegal to take a dog on a motorcycle?
Technically, having an animal on a motorcycle is not illegal, but there is a little known law that the woman from Maroochydore broke.
The fine is a small subrule of regulation 297 of the Road Rules 2014: “Driver to have proper control of a vehicle”. The small subrule states “The rider of a motorbike must not ride with an animal on the motorbike between the rider and the handlebars”.
The only exception to the rule is if a motorbike rider rides with an animal between the rider and the handlebars for a distance of not more than 500 metres on the road for the purpose of a farming activity.
In the past six years, just 14 people have been fined for the offence of “Riding with an animal between rider and handlebars” in New South Wales.
This exact fine carries a whopping $464 fine and three demerit points in New South Wales, up to a $1000 fine in Victoria and a $376 fine in Queensland.
The offence does not apply to people who have the animal secured to the rear seat of the motorcycle, secured in a container, or secured in a backpack.
However, an unrestrained animal behind you can win you a whopping fine. You can read further about it here.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
