Corbis
According to a survey of the habits of 1,000 dog owners, released Wednesday by AAA and Kurgo, a maker of pet travel products, two out of three dog owners had driven while distracted by their dog. More than half the drivers admitted to petting their dog while driving. One out of five drove with a dog on their lap and just 17 percent of owners in the study used any kind of pet restraint system.
"Even looking away from the roadway for two seconds can increase your risk of a crash," AAA National Traffic Safety Programs Manager Jennifer Huebner-Davidson told Paw Nation.
In addition to creating distractions, dogs can become hazardous to themselves or others during an accident, Huebner-Davidson said. In a 30-miles-per-hour accident, a 50-pound dog flying through the air will hit the windshield or another passenger with the force of a 2,400 pound object. Unrestrained dogs are also at risk of running away or attacking emergency responders out of fear, she said.
Animal harnesses or travel crates that hook into the backseat can greatly limit those risks, she said. Bark Buckle Up, a pet travel safety group, offers a list of safe-travel products. Pet-safety advocates also recommend keeping dogs in the back seat because passenger-side airbags can be deadly to a dog during a crash, even if the animal is buckled in.
"We'd like to see dogs buckled up in the backseat, just like children," Huebner-Davidson said. "The word hasn't really gotten out yet that it's important. They are very much a part of our family, and we need to protect them, but also everyone else who is in the vehicle."
Statistics about dog-related distractions aren't available, but news reports highlight the risks:
- In June 2009, two people were killed in a head-on collision when a dog jumped in his owner's lap, causing him to veer his motor home into oncoming traffic.
- In April, a Minnesota man lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a utility pole when his dog started vomiting on him.
- Horror author Stephen King was badly injured in 1999 while walking along the shoulder of a road in Maine, when he was hit by a minivan whose driver was trying to control an unrestrained rottweiler.
Tell us Paw Nation, do you always buckle up your pet? How do you keep from getting distracted when you have your adorable pooch with you in the car?
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I never buckle her in. She sits patiently in her seat and doesn't even try to stick her head out of the window. I was blessed with a very mellow dog. And having her in the car (because I know she's not belted in) makes me drive much more carefully.
I do worry about someone hitting us, but because I find myself so much more alert, I think it's more worrying what would happen to her at home if I was killed in an accident on the street.
I have a 10 yo toy poodle & in early 2009 bought a car seat for her which secures by the seat belt and & I secure her by hooking her harness to the car seat. Shortly after purchasing the car seat, I was driving her to the vet at night when I came upon a dead deer in the road which I ran over with my car. I had to pull over immediately to assess any damage to my car & because there were several cars & an 18 wheeler behind me. When I pulled over I drove a bit further up on the shoulder away from the deer just in case of an accident. Because of all the internal fluids from the dead deer splattered all over the road, the road was very slick & the cars/18 wheeler were skidding all over the road. I had to move up further to keep from getting hit myself. Because I had my dog "buckled" up, she wasn't hurt, only shaken. I called the police to report the dead deer & was waiting for them. While waiting for the police, the fluids from the deer had made the road very dangerous & several vehicles just about crashed into oncoming vehicles or my car. For what I paid for her car seat, it was well worth it. It had saved her from danger/death because I had her buckled up. I was so grateful she was ok & that I had purchased that particular car seat. It is a sturdy car seat that you can raise up higher for the dog to look out the window, has a small bed with removable cover for cleaning, & has storage space underneath the pillow with a container for water & food. By being restrained, it saved her life. She would have gone through the windshield or at a minimum fallen on the floor of the car hurting herself. I do have the car seat in the front passenger seat & worry about being in an accident because of the air bag. I worry more about people with their children in the car, turning around to look at or speak to the children & not paying attention to their driving. Also worry more about people texting on their phone & talking on their phone with one hand while driving with the other hand. I have seen more accidents caused by these situations. Am still glad I purchased the car seat & buckle her up to it.
We have a Whippet/Pharoah/shepard mix and he's a calm dog. He'll get in the backseat and lay down. Then if he gets scared he'll come into my lap and I let him stay there until he's begins to hurt me but he won't bug the driver or anything. And he knows when we stop somewhere. But he is a calm dog who just stays quiet and never makes a sound or anything.
Both my dogs always wear a dog seat belt. Sephi is 9 years old and has had one for at least eight of those years. Maya is almost 3 years old and the only time she hasn't worn a dog seat belt is when I brought her home for the first time.
Sephi has always been good in the car, but I considered the dog seat belt for her safety. Maya is a hyper lab who likes to have her nose in everyone's business so the dog seat belt keeps her safe and keeps her from pestering me while I drive.
They wear the Pet Buckle brand which is the only dog seat belt which has been crash tested. Kurgo has done thorough strenth testing on their dog seat belts, but Sephi and Maya move around too much and get tangled in those.
I have a car seat that sits up high for my little dog. Seems like he just wants to be up high where he can see out the window. I think that's why a lot of little dogs sit on their owners laps - so they can see out.
I remember a news story from several years ago where the small dog of a woman stopped in traffic was grabbed in a fit of road rage (the grabber claimed the dog had bitten him had wouldn't let go) through the cars open form his mistress' lap and tossed (shaken off the guys hand) into traffic and was killed. I've always thought that if that poor little dog had been restrained elsewhere in the car he wouldn't have been killed. I think the lady sued the guy. I've read/heard of many incidents where a dog was in a car accident where the people were killed or badly injured and ran/wandered off and the owners/friends/relatives searched for the dog for days, months, years. Or, dogs loose in the back of a pickup somehow get thrown, or jump, from the pickup into oncoming traffic causing an accident where people are injured or killed. It doesn't have to happen. Pets should be restrained in vehicles. In my state there is a law that says dogs must be retrained in the backs of pickups. But, unfortunately, most people in my farming community ignore it.