Doggy Seatbelts: Time to really get serious about pedestrian safety

Doggy Seatbelts: Time to really get serious about pedestrian safety
June 4, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , According to a 2011 survey by AAA and Kurgo, a manufacturer of pet travel products, 56% of pet owners drive with their dog in the car at least once a month. For many one of the pleasures of having “mans best friend” as a companion is the ability to take the dog along for outings.

But according to experts many dog owners do not consider that driving with a dog unrestrained in a vehicle carries inherent risks for the dog and for the driver as well as other passengers.

To make matters worse, the survey found that large numbers of dog owners exacerbate the risk by engaging in activities with the dog in the car that can best be classified as distracted driving. Making driving with an unrestrained dog another threat to pedestrian safety

The AAA and Kurgo Survey Methodology :The online study was conducted among a sample of 1,000 dog owners who have driven with their dog in past 12 months. The study results have an average statistical error of +/- 3.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

According to the AAA and Kurgo survey:

52% of respondents admit they pet their dogs while driving
23% have used their hands or arms to hold their dog in place while applying brakes
19% have used their hands or arms to prevent their dog from climbing into the front seat
18% allow their dog to sit in their lap
13% give treats to their dog while driving
The AAA/Kurgo survey also revealed that 83% of respondents acknowledge that an unrestrained dog in a car can be dangerous, but only 16% use a pet restraint.

Currently no U.S. state mandates dog car seat belts, and while several states have laws that require pets to be restrained while traveling in open areas of the vehicle, such as the bed of a pick-up truck, no U.S. state has successfully enacted legislation mandating that pets be restrained inside the passenger area of a moving vehicle.

But NJ Police and animal control officers are authorized to cite drivers with unrestrained animals in the car. Yes, that includes the back of a pickup truck too. Violators can be fined $250 to $1,000 per offense.

So the question remains should there be doggy seatbelt laws? The dangers involved in having an unrestrained dog in a moving vehicle are clear. It is a safety hazard for the driver, the passengers, the pet, and potentially for first reponders such as law enforcement and EMTs as well as pedestrians .