Tip for Tuesday 7/30: Seat Belt Safety for Your Pets

Category: Dog Care, Pet Tips, Pets | Tags: Tags: dog car restraint, dog seat belt, doggie seat belt, pet car restraint, pet seat belt, seat belt laws for pets

Date: July 30th, 2013

Summer is the time for road trips! ANd what’s more fun than bringing your dog along! But are dogs safe in a car without a restraint? Studies say NO!

If we wouldn’t drive without seat-belts/restraints, why would we let our furry loved ones ride in a car without one?

 

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Admin., looking away from the road for only 2 seconds doubles your risk of being in a car crash. Another study of dog owners found:

65% were distracted at least once while driving with a dog;
31% became distracted when their dog climbed into their lap;
23% used their arms to retrain their dogs while applying the brakes;
20% let their dog sit on their lap while driving;
19% took one hand off the wheel to prevent pets from climbing into the front seat.

If this isn’t enough reason to restrain your pet, think about this:

(1) Airbags are made for people, not pets! Never allow your dog to ride in the front seat. Also a dog sitting on the driver’s lap could get stuck between the driver and the airbag. And front airbags can be deadly to a dog- even a dog that is restrained.

(2) Unrestrained pets become forceful projectiles in a crash. If you crash at 30MPH your 10 pound dog becomes a flying projectile exerting 300 pounds of force. At 50 MPH, 833 pounds of force! And thats a small dog!

New Jersey (along with CT, FL, CA, AZ and Maine) already have pet safety restraint laws in place, and more states are following. Fines of $250-1000.

Keep your pet safe from all the bad drivers out there- not you of course, you are a great driver 🙂