What is the Safest Way to Travel with a Dog in the Car
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The Best Way to Road Trip with a Dog
As traveling with pets becomes increasingly popular, companies have begun to create more products to help keep them safe. With updates in vehicle safety features and laws against distracted driving, we pet owners need to keep up with the best way to road trip with our dogs. So, what is the safest way to travel with a dog in the car? Unfortunately, there is no straight answer as it will depend on your vehicle, available space, and the needs of you and your dog.
How to Choose the Safest Way to Travel with Your Dog in the Car
There are several ways your dog can travel with you in your vehicle, and each has its own pros and cons. Traveling in a car will always have safety risks but there are ways to minimize them for you and your dog. Here are the 5 main ways that your dog can ride in your vehicle so you can choose the best way for you to road trip with your 4-legged friend.
Riding Free
Historically, when dogs would ride in vehicles, they would ride completely free and unrestricted. This might be in the back of a truck or in the cab of a car. Your dog will have complete freedom to move about as they want during your travels. They’ll have the opportunity to cuddle up next to you, look out the windows, or curl up for a nice nap.
The downside to letting your pet have complete freedom in the car is that they will have complete freedom in your car. Your dog could also potentially cause an accident by jumping into your lap while you are driving or distracting you if they start to misbehave. There is also nothing preventing them from jumping out of the back of your truck or an open window if they see something that they want to investigate.
In case of a car accident, there is nothing in place to keep your dog from being tossed around or even out of your vehicle. This can result in severe injuries and your dog may get lost running away because they are frightened after the accident.
Hold Your Dog on Your Lap
A popular option when traveling with your pup is simply to hold them in your lap. This can be comforting to both you and your dog in what can be a stressful or long car ride. If either of you suffers from anxiety, this can be a great help to keep it under control. Holding them in your lap will also help prevent them from wreaking havoc in your car.
IF you choose to travel with your pup by holding them on your lap, there are several factors that you should be aware of. The most important is that with advancements in vehicle safety, airbags are now in almost every vehicle. Airbags do a great job keeping us humans safe, but they can be incredibly dangerous to the animals being held in our laps. This means that if you choose to travel by holding your pets, the safest place to sit would be in the back seat.
In the event of a car accident, the airbags aren’t your only concern. At this point, you are the only thing that would be preventing your dog from flying forward. Similar to letting your pup be unrestrained in your vehicle, this can also increase the risk of your dog running away after an accident.
You will also need to be aware of the distracted driving laws as it pertains to pets during your road trip. Hawaii has a traffic law specifically prohibiting driving with your dog in your lap to make sure your attention remains on the road. Other states like Rhode Island require that pets be contained while riding in cars. Make sure you do a quick check before you let your dog in the driver’s lap so you can avoid getting a ticket.
Dog Seatbelts
Dog seatbelts have become a popular method to keep pups safe and contained while in a vehicle. The idea of protecting our dogs the same way we protect our human family members is a comforting thought. The idea behind a seatbelt is to keep a dog safely contained in a seat preventing them from flying around the car in case of an accident. The downside of course is that they won’t be as easily accessible to cuddle with.
Adjustable Pet Dog Cat Car Seat Belt
When hooking your dog up to a dog seatbelt, there are a few important things that you need to do to keep them as safe as possible. First, NEVER attach a seatbelt to your dog’s collar. The sudden force of stopping your dog from moving forward would be focused on the neck area which can cause serious injury or death to your dog. Make sure the seatbelt is connected to a body harness with wide, cushioned straps that will help absorb the impact.
The second is to make sure that the seatbelt attachment is not too long. You don’t want your dog to slip and get stuck hanging off of the seat. The length will also play a huge part in a car accident because the longer the ‘belt’ the farther your dog will be thrown. This means the seatbelt will have to use more force to stop them from flying forward.
Surprisingly, there are no current official regulations or standard tests with dog safety gear, so it can be hard to know which brand will keep your pet safe. The Center for Pet Safety (CPS) is a non-profit research and consumer advocacy organization that runs tests on products like dog seatbelts to test their effectiveness.
I was dismayed to learn that many brands don’t hold up in higher-impact accidents when they are tested. If you are looking for seatbelt harnesses or crates that have been CPS-certified, you can check out their website for more information.
Sleepypod Clickit Sport Harness
For more ideas on what your pup will need on your next road trip, check out our Dog Road Trip Supplies post.
Dog Booster Seat
Dog Booster Seats off many of the same pros and cons as dog seatbelts with a few additional differences. Booster seats are built for smaller dogs and will provide a nice cozy bed for them to curl up in during the drive. A booster seat may also help If your dog suffers from motion sickness raises them up to a higher vantage point in your vehicle.
Dog Booster Seat
Travel Crate
Driving with your dog in a crate is thought to provide the highest level of safety. If involved in an accident, your dog will be contained to the crate preventing injuries from being tossed around or out of the car.
The safest place for the crate is on the floor of the backseat or in the trunk/hatchback area of your vehicle. These two areas are more secure, so the crate is less likely to be tossed around your vehicle when hit. Though one of the safest areas for the crate is in the back of your vehicle, this is also the main point of impact if you are rear-ended and it could be difficult to get to the crate to get them out.
Dog Crate
The downside to your dog being crated is no cuddles and your dog can still be injured in an accident from being knocked around inside of the crate though the injuries should be substantially less serious. Crates can also take up quite a bit of space in your vehicle making them difficult to use if you have a lot to pack into your car or multiple dogs to travel with you.
Deciding What is Right for You
Each of these options offers varying degrees of safety for your dog while traveling in your car, though none of them is 100% safe. Depending on the type of vehicle you have, the space available, and the size of your dog, some of these options may be a better fit for you than others. If your vehicle is tight on space and you have multiple dogs like we do, crates and even seatbelts or booster seats may not be possible. If your dog has special medical or behavioral needs, this will also influence which will be the best option for your situation. The most important thing is that you can make an informed decision for yourself and your family before heading out on the road!
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