Do you drive with your dog or cat in tow? If you like to bring your pets with you, it’s very important that those animals are secured while you’re focused on driving.
Far too often, people don’t secure their pets in their vehicles. Distractions caused by those pets could lead to crashes as drivers try to keep the pet out of the front seat or out of their lap, for example. Even when the pet is being calm, there is a significant risk of the pet being maimed or killed if a crash occurs.
For all of these reasons, it’s very important to consider securing your pet. If a pet does cause a car crash, then the driver could be held responsible for any damages or injuries that occur as a result.
Securing your pet: You have options
There are many methods of securing your pets that you can consider. One of the main options is to bring a carrier or cage with you. For smaller animals, placing a carrier behind the driver’s side or passenger’s side front seats on the floor will secure that cage and make it less likely that it will be thrown forward or roll around during the drive.
For larger animals, a metal cage or kennel may be a good idea. These often fit snuggly in a back seat or the trunk area of a hatch-back vehicle. These will keep your pet inside securely and prevent them from being thrown in the case of a collision.
A third option that has become common is to use a harness on your pet and to have them strapped into a safety seat. Pet safety seats are sold online and in pet stores. These usually have space for a seat belt to strap the seat in, so it’s secured to the seat while you drive.
Avoiding crashes is possible by reducing pet distractions
Pets may need to travel from time to time, but they cannot become distractions. If your pet is usually loose in your vehicle, consider looking into one of these methods to help keep them safer the next time you go for a drive.
