A dog can be your best friend apparently but according to figures released by Royal Mail recently, there have been more than 200 dog attacks on postal delivery workers in Scotland during the last 12 months. Whilst it may sound like the fodder of comic strips, dog bites can cause significant physical injury, often accompanied by serious psychological trauma, and permanent scarring.
As you might expect, Royal Mail has broken down the statistics by postcode, with Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee featuring in the Top 3 areas where posties are more at risk. According to the stats Aberdeen was the worst offender, with 38 of the 211 attacks occurring in the AB postcode area. This was followed closely by Glasgow, with 34 attacks occurring in the G postcode area. Dundee was placed third, with 19 attacks occurring in the DD postcode area.
Consequently, Royal Mail has launched its 6th successive Dog Awareness week, which runs from 25-30 June and aims to highlight the problem and encourage responsible dog ownership.
As a matter of Personal Injury law, the rule in Scotland generally is that if you are bitten by a dog then the keeper is strictly liable to pay compensation. This means that generally speaking, there is no substantive defence to a dog bite claim. There can of course be issues around whether or not the keeper has insurance or their own funds to pay any compensation claim.
With a view to reducing the number of such attacks going forward, Royal Mail have listed several practical ideas that dog owners can implement to reduce the risk of attack.
Top amongst these include:
- If you have a back garden, consider closing off access, in case your dog could get round to the front when the postman calls.
- Dog attacks can happen when you’ve opened the door to sign for an item. Please keep your dog in another room before answering the door and make sure children don’t open the door, as dogs can push by them and attack.
- If it’s not practical for you to keep your dog away from a postman delivering your mail, consider fitting a secure mailbox on the edge of your property.
In my view, Dr Shaun Davis, Royal Mail Group global director of safety, health, wellbeing & sustainability sums it up pretty well when he says “I am appealing to dog owners to think twice when the postman calls. We know that dogs are not inherently dangerous. But, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels it or its territory is being threatened.”
Dog awareness week runs from 25 – 30 June, and further discussion can be found at #DogAwarenessWeek2018
Richard Poole is a Legal Director in our personal injury team and can be contacted on 01382 346795 or rpoole@thorntons-law.co.uk. Alternatively, contact the Personal Injury Team on 0800 731 8434.
