Restraining your dog in the car

[Viemarangelrock]

Do you make sure your dog is secured in your car when on a journey?

The UK have implemented hefty fines (upto £5,000 if the dog is found unsecured in an accident and upto £1,000 for a spot check) and points on your driving license for drivers who have not adequately restrained their dogs whilst driving.
Apparently 34% of drivers in the UK don’t properly restrain their dogs in the car, with 1 in 10 allowing their dog to sit in the front seat, unsecured.
Failing to restrain your dog could also invalidate your insurance policy if involved in an accident.

Personally, I’ve always secured my dogs in the car. My children are always buckled so why not the dogs? Accidents, near misses and emergency stops!!!! It’s never worth the risk.

So, do you buckle them up? Crate them? Or leave them insecure on the back/front seat?

 

[Doberman Gang]

Wish that was a law everywhere.
Yes, my dogs are all kenneled when we travel. My Van has two front seat and then just 4 36” long by 23” wide kennels in the back that are fastened securely. Two have storage area in top for balls leashes and other training gear.

 

[Lizbeli]

To be honest, no. My previous dog was not physically restrained. The most he had was one of those "hammock" seat covers that kept him in the back seat. However, I was looking into seatbelt harnesses before he passed away from an unrelated illness. I started looking into them after getting an advertisement on my computer for dog stuff, I didn't realize they existed.

Now, I am worried about how airbags could kill the dog too. In which the seatbelt harness won't do anything for. I am not sure if they even have crates for a large dog that can even fit in the back seat of my sedan. But I suppose some sort of restraint is better than nothing even though a crate would be the best thing for the dogs safety.

 

[Dogs4Life]

That is some hefty fine!!Wowzer!

 

[Ddski5]

Hammock seat cover with seat belt.

Started the seatbelt when he jumped out of the truck, disrupted a soccer game chasing Kildeer.

 

[Firestar Dobe]

Hammock seat cover and a harness and seat belt for both the girls!

 

[jazzies mum]

Hammock and harness and seat belt for long trips in the suv, but for short trips on our back roads she has the back seat of the dual cab utility with freedom to get her head out in the wind!

 

[Ingrid H]

I only have a barrier to keep Hans in the back seat where he is safer and where he couldn't disrupt my driving. Those fines are huge!

 

[C908]

I use a safety chain in the backseat of my old Camry. He can move around a little but can't get out the back doors or come up in the front seat.

 

[Viemarangelrock]

Rule 57 of the Highway Code states that 'when in a vehicle, dogs or other animals should be suitably restrained so they can’t distract drivers or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.'

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I turn off the air bags in the passenger seat in front and back. Harness with seatbelt restraint. I know I should do more given the weight a dog could be propelled into you at certain speeds. An 80lb dog can result in a situation of 500lbs of force slamming into you. Pretty sobering thought if it doesn’t kill you and the dog. When the vehicle is off, I allow free reign to protect the vehicle. Bacall always stays in back. Bogie wants to sit in the driver’s seat when vehicle is parked and makes no attempt at putting his head out the window. He curls up and naps unless someone walks by, then he pops his head up and usually scares the crap out of people. Neither one of them like it when someone is careless enough to try and pet them through the cracked windows.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Kaiser is in the backseat in my hb's sedan with a fabric barrier to keep him back there because K loves to be up close to the driver and apparently he has stomped on the gear shift and broke it before. In my old and new SUV K is in the cargo area. I ditched the metal dog barrier with the new car as there is less clearance for him to jump into the backseat. He stays in the cargo area no matter how long he's back there. We have discussed the safety around these decisions, because the greatest risk is to US if he becomes a projectile. My hb drives so carefully and I'm all about the speed, so between our vehicle choices, I guess we are safe