It’s common nowadays for pet owners to consider pets a part of their family, treating them the same as they would their own children. So why is it that when it comes to road travel, more animal lovers don’t secure their pets in the car?
It’s a good idea to have all members of your family securely restrained inside the car while you’re on road trips, and that includes your beloved pets. Allowing a pet to travel unrestrained puts the animal at considerable risk in the event of an accident. But when is the last time you saw a dog riding in a car secured by a harness? Often they’re on the driver’s lap, noses out the window and ears flying back in the wind.
While we don’t always think about buckling up our pets in the car, an unrestrained animal can be a serious auto safety hazard. Unrestrained pets wandering freely around your car can prevent you from driving safely. In the event of a crash, an animal that is not properly restrained can become a flying projectile. At 30 mph, a 60-pound dog can cause an impact of 2,700 pounds.
Proper restraints can not only protect your pets in the event of an accident, they can also keep your pets from becoming a distraction and prevent them from escaping through an open door or window. While cats and small dogs can travel in a pet carrier, you can also purchase special seat belt attachments, as well as specially designed pet car seats and harnesses, to protect your pet.
If you are involved in a crash with a pet in your vehicle, having your animal restrained with a safety harness also can help emergency personnel evacuate and treat any potential injuries quicker without having to contain or placate your pet. Animals can become overly excited, to the point of attacking a person responding to the situation.
Several states have laws on requiring pets riding in vehicles to be tethered, and there are movements like Bark BuckleUp happening across the country. Bark BuckleUp was established in California and is working to get laws in all 50 states on having animals in safety harnesses for overall automobile safety.
Traveling with pets can be a challenge as well. Some pets can get stressed out from either the worry of the end destination (the vet, the kennel) or the motion of your vehicle on the road. Discuss with your vet how to keep your dog or cat calm in the car. Some ideas include not giving your pet a meal prior to the road trip, taking frequent rest stops and creating a comfortable resting place in your car for your animal to relax.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
