5 Reasons to Buckle Your Dog While Driving

As most dog owners do, we love and adore our pets.  And this means taking them with us as often as we can, whether that’s to run an errand, to the park, on a walk, or even on vacation. And our dogs love it! There is no denying they love a good ride in the car, as you look back, you will find you likely have your dog in the car with you quite often.

As a responsible owner and citizen, it’s important that you restrain your dog while traveling. Letting your dog have free reign in the car can not only be dangerous to you and your dog, but also all those on the road with you. Here are some of the main reasons why we need to make sure our dogs are.

Your Dog is Distracting

One of the most common issues with your dog being unrestrained in your vehicle is a distraction to you as a driver. Your unrestrained dog can get very excited in the new car environment and can be very unpredictable. Your furry friend can easily distract you, impair or block your vision, interfere with your steering wheel or even hinder your ability to apply the gas or brakes.  These are all very real and dangerous scenarios that happen to pet owners every day.

Dangers of Airbags

Whether your dog is sitting in the passenger seat or the drivers lap the airbag represents a very real risk to your pet (and possibly you as well). In the event of an accident, the force at which your airbag deploys can severely injure or even kill your dog.  Just like children, the front seats represent a high risk of danger.  They need to travel in the back seats.

Dog Becomes a Projectile

When an unrestrained, a pet (even a small one) can become a very dangerous projectile in the event of an accident. In a 50 mph crash, a 10-pound cat can generate 500 pounds of force; a 50-pound dog can become a 4,000-pound wrecking ball.  This force can severely injure or kill your pet but also presents a significant danger to those in the car.

A Danger to First Responders

Once a car accident does occur, you and your dog will both be in a state of shock or possibly panic.  Dogs in this state can often become very defensive and may lash out or bite at a first responder approaching the vehicle trying to help. This poses a danger to the folks trying to help you and your passengers and hinder them getting you the attention and help you need.  If a paramedic s bitten, their protocol is to first tend to their injured colleague before they continue to provide aid to others.

Secondary Injury/Accident

If an accident occurs and your dog is not restrained inside the car they can easily escape and pose a serious risk to themselves or other drivers in the area.  Your disoriented dog could easily be hit by passing traffic, cause a secondary accident or even become lost during this commotion – making a bad situation even worse. To makes things even scarier, many insurance companies will not cover this secondary accident

State and Local Laws

Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine & Massachusetts: these states do not have firm seatbelt laws for pets but dogs are not allowed on the driver's lap and failing to do so can be considered distracted driving. These states also do not all pets in open bed trucks without restraint.

North Dakota: Is a bit unique and state that transporting dogs without proper carrying containers is considered animal cruelty

New Jersey & Rhode Island: These states both require either a seatbelt or a crate/container for pets traveling in vehicles.

*this is not intended to be a comprehensive list, please check with your local or state authority to get a completed list of laws around pet travel

Seatbelt and Crate Options

AllSafe Pet Harness

AllSafe is the only canine auto harness seatbelt that has passed crash tests in both Europe and the US. This makes the AllSafe Harness the leading auto pet restraint harness for pets in the World!

Shop AllSafe Pet Harness Here

MIMSafe VarioCage Travel Crate

Variocage is the ONLY Crash Tested and Proven Dog Transport Cage in the world. It has become the top choice among pet owners and professionals for keeping dogs and their humans safe while driving. These crates are NOT cheap, they come with a premium.  But for the pet owner who is truly interested in keeping themselves and their pet safer while traveling, it is worth the cost and then some. 

Variocage Single	Variocage Double	Variocage MinMax	Variocage Compact	Variogate
For Single Dogs	For Two Dogs or Very Large Pets	For Small Dogs or Cats	For Station Wagons, Hatchbacks or similar	Universal Gate for use with Most SUVs and Wagons
The MIM Variocage Single is designed for one dog and is proven to provide protection to you and your pet while still leaving sufficient space for other cargo in your vehicle.  Available in 6 adjustable si	The MIM Safe Variocage Double is the largest Variocage offered and is built for two dogs, and the movable center divider is easily adjustable if one dog needs more space. This divider can be removed and the crate used for one dog. Available in 8 adjustable sizes.	Variocage MiniMax is designed with all of the safety features of the larger models, scaled down to protect smaller pets. Its bars are closer together to prevent smaller dogs and cats from escaping or poking their heads out between bars during transit. The smaller footprint also leaves considerable space for additional cargo.	The Variocage Compact is designed for use in vehicles that have a threshold (or sill) at the rear cargo door, such as hatchbacks, station wagons, minivans or similar. The Variocage Compact features a raised front door which is designed to clear the vehicle’s threshold without requiring special mounting or a platform. Its small footprint leaves considerable space for additional cargo.	The Variogate Transforms your cargo area into a safe and very practical environment for transporting pets and maximizing the space in your vehicle.  When used with our Universal Cargo Barrier the Variogate will create a safe and secure containment area for your pets.
View Single Crate	View Double Crate	View MinMax Crate	View Compact Crate	View Variogate