AN author's campaign to make drivers "belt up" their dogs in the car is gathering national support.

Bolton-born writer Ruth Hamilton revealed last month that she had found something that she had been seeking for years - harnesses which attach to seat belts for her own Labrador dogs Samson and Fudge.

The BEN story about the harnesses was the catalyst for her campaign to try to persuade the Home Secretary Jack Straw to change the law.

Speaking from her home in Liverpool, Ruth, whose latest novel, The Corner House, has just been released, said she was "delighted but surprised" at the level of nationwide support.

"It's really snowballed nationally since it appeared in the BEN," she said.

Ruth bought her harnesses from one of the shopping channels, and says they were one of the best buys of her life.

"You've got to ask yourself what price do you put on life?" she said. "What price do you put on your own life, your passenger's life and that of your pet? That poor innocent animal can kill you just by sitting, unrestrained, in your car. My message is, belt your dog up to save yourself, your passenger and your pet."

One organisation that is lending its support to Ruth's campaign is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

A spokesman said: "Ruth's idea to restrain pets is a very good one in terms of safety."

He went on to explain the arguments that back up Ruth's concerns about loose pets in moving cars. A loose pet, he said, is a "canine cannonball".

Elephant

In a 30mph crash a human being propelled through the air becomes the equivalent of a 3.5 tonne elephant.

The spokesman added that all loose items in a car have the potential to cause injury, including briefcases, spectacle cases and road atlases.

"If you can't put them in the boot or the glove compartment, hold them down," he said. "A flying briefcase can cause a lot of damage."

Ruth is now hoping to encourage people to write to the Home Secretary or their own MP demanding the compulsory restraining of pets in cars.

"We need to bombard the Home Secretary," said Ruth. "This is an important issue and the quicker it becomes law the better."

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