For those of us with pets, we make choices about when and how they travel with us.

Airline travel is simply not an option for me. I have an anxious dog above the weight limit and size to fit under a seat. And sometimes the duration of the trip means I won’t be leaving Ginger at home.

Which leads me to today’s topic: pet travel safety. January 2nd is designated as Pet Travel Safety Day. It is a day to remind those of us who load our pets up into our vehicles that we should take precautions to make sure we all arrive at our destinations safely.

DISTRACTIONS

While we may think we are giving our pet freedom by allowing them to roam untethered in our vehicle, we are actually setting up a potentially fatal event if a crash occurs.

Impact. According to a Forbes article a car crash at 25 mph can turn a 75 pound dog into a missile with an impact force of 3,000 pounds.
Loose Pets. Maybe that sounds scary for a large dog, but what if you happen to have a small pet that rides on your lap? The impact of an airbag going off between your body, the pet, and the steering wheel can kill a small dog. And the likelihood that a small pet could be ejected from an open window or flung into a windshield increases with them roaming freely.

OPTIONS

Perhaps you are already harnessing your pet when you travel. Do you know how your harness holds up in a crash?

According to the same Forbes article, a study by the Center for Pet Safety and Subaru found only one harness that provided the appropriate level of protection to both the people and the pets in the car: Sleepypod. Check out their car harness options at https://sleepypod.com/car-harnesses .

Additionally, several car manufactures have their own safety options for pets. Check out Jeep, Jaguar, and Land Rover or take advantage of the Subaru version of a safety harness through the Sleepypod website.

No matter where your travels take you, if your pet is going along be sure to harness them for their safety and yours.