Police Traffic Camera Spots Dog Driving the Wheel of a Speeding Car in Slovakia

A dog was seen seemingly driving the wheel of a speeding car in Slovakia, an incident caught by a police traffic camera, according to reports.

The brown hunting dog in the photo, which went viral on different social media platforms in recent days, gained various feedback from internet users, with some expressing dismay to the owner of the pet dog for allowing the canine to drive.

An initial investigation conducted by the Slovakia police into the incident says the driver of the car was still driving but was not visible in the photo.

While it is almost impossible for a dog to completely take over the wheel, the right angle and timing of the photo make it hard for one to believe that the dog was not alone at all during the incident that occurred in late September.

Driving Dog in Slovakia

In a Facebook post of the Slovakia Police on September 29, a photo from the traffic camera shows the dog was on the driver's seat in an unspecified location.

The post said that police in Senica, a town in western Slovakia's Trnava Region, "did not believe their own eyes" when they saw the dog in their police radar.

The post by the Slovakian police also gave humor about ruining the dog's hunting plans.

Despite the brief mystery surrounding the incident, the social media post was quick to clarify that the car had an actual human driver, a 31-year-old man, who was reportedly irresponsible for allowing the dog to take over.

However, the male driver told the police that the dog suddenly jumped over his lap.

The car was stopped by a police patrol and the driver was issued a fine for violating traffic rules, according to the Slovakian police post.

Can Dogs Drive a Car?

For the longest time, it has been thought that bipedal humans are the only ones capable of driving a vehicle.

However, various reports in recent years suggest that "man's best friend," domestic dogs are capable of such a feat. Yet, experts say that only highly-trained dogs can do so.

In 2020, it was reported that three driving dogs, named Monty, Ginny, and Porter, was set to become the world's first true car drivers among members of the entire canine family.

Yet, the vehicles that the animals were driving were customized, compared to a conventional car.

The car was installed with specific driving controls to allow the dogs to perform basic driving actions like steering the car, using the gas, shifting the gears, and conducting brakes of the vehicles.

Second, the car was designed to allow the dogs to reach the steering wheel and gear stick, while their back paws to reach the accelerator and brake pedals, the report explains.

Regardless of the potential capabilities of highly-trained dogs to drive, experts still warn drivers to never allow an unrestrained dog to rest its paws on the steering wheel of a moving vehicle.