More and more people are adding animals to their families. If you're one of them, whether you have a dog, a cat, or another pet, here are some guidelines so you can safely share car trips with them.
As vehicle occupants, pets must be properly restrained and protected. Failure to do so could result in a €100 fine. However, this shouldn't be your main concern; rather, it's the safety of your pet and other passengers in the car. Not having our pet properly secured in the vehicle entails a series of risks that we should be aware of :Possible risks
- Increases driver distraction if the animal becomes nervous and moves excessively or tries to escape.
- It can interfere with driving by climbing on top of the driver or operating the vehicle's mechanical systems (gear lever, pedals, etc.).
- There's a risk that when you stop the vehicle and open the door, the animal could escape, potentially interfering with traffic and causing an accident that could endanger the lives of other road users. This is similar to what would happen if you leaned out the window and fell out.
- In the event of sudden braking or an impact, an improperly restrained animal can cause very serious or even fatal injuries to the other occupants. To give you an idea, in a head-on collision traveling at 50 km/h, a medium-sized dog (weighing 20 kg) would multiply its weight by 35, due to the elephant effect, and would hit the vehicle's occupants with a force equivalent to a weight of 700 kg.
We should choose the restraint system based on the size or weight of our dog, cat, or other pet, but it is also imperative that it be properly approved, which will ensure that it has passed the various tests that guarantee its effectiveness in the event of a crash. Harness Especially recommended for dogs. Pets are secured using the seat belt or Isofix devices. Although single-hook harnesses are available, the most recommended are those with double hooks, as they will better support the animal's weight in the event of an accident. Under no circumstances should the animal be harnessed solely by the leash, as it is not effective as a restraint and can seriously injure the animal's neck. Carrier It's one of the safest methods. For large dogs weighing more than 20 kg , it's recommended that they travel in a carrier in the trunk, positioned as close to the backrest as possible and facing transversely to the direction of travel. For small, lightweight pets , they should be placed in a carrier wedged between the front and rear seats. This prevents them from moving around uncontrollably inside the passenger compartment, potentially distracting the driver. They should never be placed on the seat secured by a seat belt, as tests have shown that the box can break and the pet can be thrown through the wall of the carrier. Dividing grid It allows you to open the trunk to transport large animals in hatchback or station wagon vehicles, dividing the load among the occupants. The safest and most recommended are those that are mounted from the vehicle's roof to the trunk floor. Even so, it's not recommended that pets travel loose in the trunk. It's better to keep them in their appropriate carrier.Restraint systems
