A loose pet in a moving car can be costly

Spring is around the corner, the weather is warming up, and a lot of people are getting ready for a drive with their pets, if only to a local park. But unrestrained animals in a moving car can lead to accidents, as well as costly or even life-threatening injuries to you -- and your dog or cat.

While no accurate figures are available for the number of car accidents caused by pet-distracted drivers, it's fair to assume some significant portion of the thousands of collisions each year can be attributed to distracted driving caused by pets.

Consider these facts: A 2011 AAA survey, conducted in association with a pet travel-products company, found close to 60% of respondents had driven somewhere with their dogs at least once a month in the previous 12 months. Only 16% of those surveyed, however, said they used a pet restraint. And the survey found an alarming number of drivers who acknowledged being distracted by their pets while behind the wheel.

For that matter, nearly 20% admit removing at least one hand from the steering wheel to keep a dog from climbing into the front seat with them, and 23% said they used their hands or arms to hold a dog in place while applying the brakes.

"What people come to realize only too late is that animals act like flying missiles in an impact and can not only hurt themselves but hurt their human family members, too," Col. Frank Rizzo, superintendent of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told USA Today last year.

New Jersey is one of at least six states that have pending or existing legislation requiring animals riding in a vehicle to be restrained. And at least one automaker is getting involved in the issue.

Subaru of America, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries (FUJHF), is working with the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety to fund testing of pet safety restraints for cars.

According to their joint press statement, no performance standards or test protocols for such products currently exist in the U.S. And they noted that while "many manufacturers claim to test their products, without test standards, these claims cannot be substantiated."

The center conducted its own crash-test program last year, using a realistic 55-pound dummy dog in a variety of pet restraints during a simulated 30-mile-per-hour crash. All four of the popular pet harnesses used in the study had a 100% failure rate.

Lindsey Wolko, the center's founder and CEO, says a big pet products market -- of both producers and consumers -- awaits the results of this new restraint testing.

"We have received requests from all over the world from manufacturers who want guidance on developing a safer harness," she said in a press statement, "and, through this partnership, we can finally conduct additional testing to help develop a suitable standard, provide the needed knowledge-base to manufacturers, as well as determine the top performers."

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