Pet-friendly safety solutions for your furry passengers

Dogs adore car rides, and drivers cherish taking them. But sharp turns, sudden stops or collisions can cause severe injury or death to unrestrained animals—and put human passengers at risk of injury as well.

Lindsey Wolko, founder of the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety, has spent the last decade raising awareness about animal restraints for pet owners. Yet, she cautions there is no uniform safety standard for the industry.

“Beware of the marketing spin around all pet travel products,” Wolko said. “There’s no such thing as a ‘pass’ for any category of pet travel device when it comes to crash testing.”

Wolko and her team are working to develop an industry standard for manufacturers of pet harnesses and restraints to adhere to. The goal is an independent set of guidelines to determine if the product provides protection to human vehicle occupants and gives animals the best chance of survival.

Last year, Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety collaborated to test the various safety harnesses on crash-test dummy dogs. The process was similar to how child safety products are evaluated.

Only one out of 11 brands tested offered substantial protection to pets and humans, according to the study. The rest either didn’t restrain dogs, experienced hardware failures, had stitching tears or failed in some other way.

“This is really a ‘Buyer Beware’ for pet owners,” she said.

Harnesses on the market fall into two categories: distraction prevention and crash protection.

Wolko urges pet owners to opt for a crash protection harness, as it has the best chance of keeping the dog in its seat during impact and the aftermath. A crash protection harness controls the movement of the dog – and in testing prevents the launch and rotation of test dogs.

“Rotation control is important to protect the animal’s spine,” Wolko said.

Wolko opposed use of tethers and zipline-style products, which can increase the risk of injury to everyone in the vehicle.

And no matter what restraint is used, Wolko said a dog should never ride in the front seat. Furthermore, safety devices should never connect to your dog’s collar or walking harness.

There is no formal repository for data on animal-related injuries, Wolko said.

“The metrics quoted about pet injuries/accidents are simply anecdotal,” she said, “We know millions of pets travel with their families every year and without the use of a reliable safety device when traveling with your pet, the entire family is at risk of injury in the case of an accident.”

When picking out a safety harness for your dog, Wolko offered the following advice:

• Look beyond product hype. There is no universal safety standard for pet harnesses and most travel products are not crash tested.
• Speak with the manufacturer and find out the weight rating in harness tests.
• Conduct some on-line research. Ask to see the full-length crash test video. Does the pet go airborne? If it does, it’s not a crash protection harness.
• Find out if harness connectors have been tested (buckles, clasps, buttons).
• Never let your dog ride in the front seat. Even with a restraint, there is the chance of significant injury from the airbag or broken glass.
• Avoid using extension tethers and zipline-style products. They allow the pet to choke or become airborne.
• Inspect products thoroughly. Your pet’s safety depends on the quality of straps, connectors, how products were tested and size of your pet.

“Just because the product was tested does not mean it passed,” said Wolko, who encouraged drivers to download a free CPS report on pet safety.

To get the report, go to http://www.CenterforPetSafety.org.