Is insurance the best way to counter dog attacks?

The British government is weighing whether to mandate dog owners taking out insurance against pet attacks.

See this article from Postonline.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the BBC: "There is a lot of public concern about dog attacks, including the recent tragic deaths of young children, and about the rise in the number of so-called status dogs used to intimidate or threaten people.

"This is a serious issue of public safety. The government wants to hear what people think about the law as it stands and what more we might do to protect people from dangerous dogs."

The government would have to amend the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act to include compulsory third-party insurance to make certain dog attack victims are compensated.

What do you think of this idea?