Buckle Up Those Pups! Seat belt Safety

Seatbelt Safety for your Dog

   A great deal of research has been done on seat belt safety for people. Now the Dept of Transportation is doing research using canine crash test dummies. Not so much to test the safety of restraint systems for the dogs, but what hazards an unrestrained dog poses to the human occupants in the car. Common sense should tell us that an unrestrained dog faces the same risks as an unrestrained child. Many decades of testing show that an unrestrained child will fly around the inside of the car if they are lucky and will be ejected from the car if they are not. Even the lucky ones that aren’t ejected incur serious injuries inside the car. Worse is holding a small dog or child on your lap, in a front end crash they are crushed between you and the dashboard or steering wheel. A dog that survives being ejected during a crash is likely to get hit by another car or run off and get lost. So, what can you do to keep your dog safe during a car crash?


Companies like Kurgi and Doggles are now designing harnesses that attach to your car’s restraint system. Both harnesses cover the dog’s chest with a sturdy fabric. In the event of a collision the dog would be secured in place and the harness would distribute the pressure across a broader area lessening the risk of trauma. Ezydog makes harness attachments out of seatbelt fabric. These go from an existing harness to the seatbelt, securing the dog in place.


Securing your dog with a restraint also prevents distraction while you are driving. Your dog is held in the back seat, the safest place in a car during a crash. Several states now have laws in place requiring dogs to be restrained while riding in a car. Ohio isn’t one of them yet, but it will be coming. Planning ahead will keep your dog safe during a crash and also prevent the driver distraction that could lead to one.