You, Your Dog, and the Open Road

AAA, the American Automobile Association, recently revealed their top picks for dog owners. The Honda Element and Toyota Venza were rated as being the best for those of us who chauffeur pooches , based on the ease of animal ingress and egress. But what about the safety of the animals? Sure, they may be able to get in and out of the car with little trouble, but are they safe while in it? A new study from AAA finds that not only are the dogs at potential risk, so are their owners, other drivers, and even pedestrians.

Here are some findings from the AAA study:

• 80 percent of the study participants drove with their dogs.
• 31 percent admitted that their dogs distracted them while they were driving.
• 55 percent pet their dogs while driving.
• 21 percent let their dog sit on the lap.
• Seven percent fed their animals, while five percent actually played with their pets while driving.

Looking away from the road for only two seconds increases the odds of an accident; can you watch the road vigilantly and play with your dog? It's been proven you can't even talk on a handless phone without being distracted from the road. Playing and engaging with an animal is far more distracting. This is exactly what happened to writer, Stephan King, who got caught in his own horror story when he was struck by a van. The driver had been trying to control an unrestrained dog.

And it's potentially very dangerous for everyone in your path. Only 17 percent of those who responded to AAA's survey said they used any sort of restraint system for their dogs. This is important, of course, to keep the dog from being injured in an accident. But it is also important to keep other people from becoming injured. Should a 30 mph accident occur – regardless of whether the driver was distracted by the dog or not – a 50 pound dog will fly through the air and hit either the windshield or a passenger of the car with 2400 pounds of force. Dogs also become very scared during an accident and could attack emergency personnel or run away.

Jennifer Huebner-Davidson, AAA's Traffic Safety Programs Manager, says, “We'd like to see dogs buckled up in the backseat, just like children. The word really hasn't gotten out yet that it's important. They are very much a part of our family, and we need to protect them, but also everyone else who is in the vehicle.”

We agree completely. Check out our line of pet travel and safety items for your next road trip.