Traveling With Your Pet: If You Love Them Like Family, Keep Them Safe Like Family!
By Lisa Velenovsky
We Americans are crazy about our pets, often treating them as beloved family members. We take them with us on local trips and, more and more, on vacation. In fact, 51% of travelers with pets say they would bring their pets along on every vacation if they could, according to a recent AAA/Best Western survey.
But when it comes to keeping them safe while driving, most Americans are not taking the same safety precautions for their animals, especially dogs, as they do for human passengers.
According to a survey by the American Automobile Association, over 80% of dog owners drive with their pets in the car. Yet only 16% of people use proper safety restraints.
This poses significant threats to both pets and humans.
A loose dog can:
- Distract the driver.
- Be hurt or killed by an airbag.
- Be harmed by debris in the road if it hangs its head out the window.
- Interfere with the gear shift, pedals, or steering wheel.
- Exacerbate a road accident.
- Hamper emergency responders’ actions during an accident (refusing to let first responders near a victim).
These dangers also apply to cats, although it’s more likely that a cat will start out in some sort of carrier.
Consider this: In a car crash at 35 miles per hour, an unrestrained dog becomes a 2,700-pound projectile, with enough force to kill both the dog and human occupants.
If the unthinkable happens and you’re in an accident, the proper restraint can save your life and your pet’s life, and it can keep pets safe and restrained at the site. We’ve all read stories of animals surviving a crash unrestrained, only to be lost after running from the scene, terrified.
While none of this is pleasant to think about, vehicles are not designed for animal safety, so owners must be responsible for providing safety features for pets.
There are several available means of restraint. All require the animal to be in the back seat or cargo area.
- Crate or kennel. One of the safer ways for your dog to travel, provided the crate is very sturdy and secured in place. If your crate is in the cargo area, be sure your car’s crumple zone is not. Harnesses or seat belts secure it in the back seat. A crate should be sized appropriately to minimize injury if the pet is thrown against the sides of the crate.
- Car harness. A car harness fits like regular harnesses but is made to withstand an accident. Wide straps and padding in the chest can help provide extra protection from impact. Also, the tether should be short to lessen the distance the dog can be thrown.
- Car seat. Dog car seats and booster seats are designed for small dogs, much like a child booster seat. Seats should attach securely to a car’s seat belts with a harness that attaches securely to the dog. If there is a leash clasp, do not hook this to a dog’s neck collar due to risk of strangulation.
- Car barrier. These block off a section of the car behind the front seats or the back seats in SUVs to keep a dog out of the front seat. They can minimize distraction (60% of Americans say they have been distracted by their dog while driving.) They may also prevent a dog from becoming a projectile in a crash. Still, they may collapse at impact and are not considered as safe as a harness or crate.
No matter which restraint or combination you select, do your research! There is no government entity devoted to testing pet restraints, but one pet owner whose dog was injured due to an ineffective restraint, Lindsey Wolko, founded the Center for Pet Safety. The CPS uses the same federal standard as child-restraint systems as its guide for testing dog restraints. For more information on their methodology and products tested, go to www.CenterforPetSafety.com.
For cats, the number one safety restraint is a carrier.
- The carrier should be strong, durable yet lightweight. Hard-sided carriers are safest for car travel.
- Your cat should be able to stand up and move around inside the carrier, but don’t make it too large.
- There should be multiple entries, such as a front door and top door. It is also easier to check on the cat if the carrier has a top-loading system.
- It must be well-ventilated.
The Center for Pet Safety recommends placing small cat carriers on the floor behind the passenger or driver seat. Unless you are absolutely sure about the structural integrity of the cat carrier, don’t place it on the back seat.
If you place it on the back seat, strap a seatbelt around the carrier to make it more stable and secure. It will also ensure that the carrier doesn’t fly off if you need to make a hard brake. You can get an additional seatbelt especially for securing cat carriers on the seat.
You may use blankets, towels, or other items to help secure the carrier more tightly in the space, as long as it doesn’t impede ventilation.
Our pets bring love and joy into our lives, and more and more Americans are including their pets in everyday and vacation travel. While it may take a little more time and effort, we should make sure they are as safe and comfortable as any family member when we travel.
Sources:
The Statistics: Car Safety and Pets in America
We Need to Talk About Keeping Dogs Safe in Cars
Automobile Safety for Dogs: Car Restraints
13 Essential Tips for Traveling With Cats in Car Long Distance – Petful
How to Keep Cat Safe in Car: Step by Step Guide – VIVO Pets
About the Author: Lisa Velenovsky is an Alexandria, VA, resident, animal lover and King Street Cats volunteer.