Car Accident Safety and Restraints for Dogs

By: Eileen Koval, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc

How safe is your dog while riding in the car?

Unfortunately, over Memorial Day weekend my family was involved in a bad car accident where we were T-boned at high speed. It crushed the driver's side door, spun our vehicle across the road and broke the front axle of the car. We were taking our dog Gilgamesh to the park for a short sniff in the shaded grass. Thankfully, we are all okay beyond some scrapes, bruises, and very sore muscles. It is a week later and we are still healing, but we will be ok. If it had not been for a car harness and being restrained, our dog Gilgamesh would have most likely died from being ejected from the vehicle. But he did not suffer a scratch. We live only a couple of blocks from the accident. A young firefighter carried him down the street to our home so I could drive him to veterinary emergency in our other vehicle. Gilgamesh was shaking and did not want to walk, but he was too heavy for me to carry that far, especially after my minor injuries in the accident. We were unsure at the time if he was injured or simply traumatized from the experience. We went to the veterinarian and he was thoroughly checked over with ultrasound, bloodwork, and manual exam. Everything was fine and he was just traumatized, but they put him on anti-inflammatory medication since he was likely sore. We also visited his animal chiropractor for an adjustment while resting him from strenuous activities for the week.

If we could see moments into the future then car accidents would never happen.

Unfortunately, we never know when or how car accidents will happen. Even when we drive perfectly, someone else may not. Or there could be an object that flies from another vehicle, or something that comes into the road. We are not in total control. We must always be prepared for this potentiality.

Most accidents happen close to home when people often think they are safer and on auto-pilot mentally (Haas et al., 2015). We were less than a half mile away from home. The Center for Pet Safety is a non-profit research and advocacy group that independently conducts crash testing on travel crates and car harnesses. This is important because the United States does not have truth in advertising laws. Anyone can claim that something is a car harness, a travel crate, a crate designed for impact, or simply claim that it is "safe". They can also conduct their own crash tests, which are inherently biased if they are self-conducted without outside oversight. When the Center for Pet Safety conducted their first independent tests in 2015, they found that 25 out of 29 products failed during their crash simulations (you can see videos of the tests on their website). Many devices are designed to restrain pets from distracting the driver, but not necessarily to protect them in the event of a car crash.

We have used the Sleepypod Clickit Sport harnesses for many years in our various cars, pickup truck, and in small general aviation aircraft during unexpected rough air turbulence. We specifically selected this harness since it has passed the Center for Pet Safety's independent crash test. Be aware that pets need to be placed in the backseat (not the front seat!), away from airbags, and restrained by an approved device. Front airbag deployment can occur at up to 300 mph, potentially causing spinal injuries or crushing and killing pets. The side airbags deployed in the backseat during our accident. Airbags can strike and kill pets. This has been heavily documented in pets riding in the front seat. In 2018, a dog was killed while riding in a crate in the front seat after the airbags deployed, crushing the crate and the dog (Blackstone, 2018). Crates need to be properly tested for safety in an accident (see the Center for Pet Safety's crash test videos) and they need to be properly tied down well enough to endure a severe car crash. If they are not, your dog and the crate may become a projectile. Another important note is to consider is the ventilation of the crate. Dogs do not get much air flow in the back seat of a car or SUV, and a crate may further inhibit that airflow depending on the design. That is a huge consideration here in Las Vegas where we reach record high temperatures every summer. It is a struggle sometimes to stay cool while in the front seat and without confinement to a crate that restricts air flow. Fortunately, the Center for Pet Safety has approved crate, harness, and carrier options that have successfully passed their crash tests, so there is something for every dog and every vehicle to optimize safety.

During the crash, my small purse was positioned across my body with a crossbody strap and my arm through the satchel handles. One of the handles actually ripped off of the bag during the crash. One of the metal clip pieces from the cross body strap that connected it to the purse actually bent sideways during the accident. I am guessing this happened as all of us and our things were flung by the sheer force of the larger vehicle striking us at high speed. The stitching was intact prior to the crash and the purse had been undamaged previously. It is hard to imagine what can get ripped apart and destroyed in an accident. This is why we need independently tested and approved safety equipment.

After the accident, we were fortunate to have water to offer him and also had dog boots in the car. Summer is just beginning in Las Vegas and we had to exit the vehicle. Unfortunately, there was no grass or dirt around but instead only pavement and rocks, which is common in desert communities. At midday, the rocks and pavement were scorching. We normally carry him whenever there are hot rocks or pavement, so we did not anticipate needing dog boots. Still, we always keep trail dog hiking boots in the car for him for just this type of scenario because he starts to feel awfully heavy after holding him for a few minutes. The car is always stocked with bottled water, a dog water bowl, and snacks, too, since I am diabetic. It might be our family's military background, but we try to anticipate and have readiness for whatever may happen. Think ahead and be prepared!!! We were incredibly incredibly incredibly lucky, but safety measures also helped keep us and our dog safe.

Gilgamesh was safe in the accident but it was a terrifying experience for him - probably both the accident itself and the airbag deployment. He was shaking for a couple of hours afterward. I administered a situational anxiety medication -- clonidine -- to help him calm down as we headed to the emergency veterinarian since I was not sure what else I could do beyond reassurance, treats, and getting him physically evaluated. It is difficult to know if he fully comprehended what had happened during the accident, and to understand his experience. Hours after the accident, we took him to a park and let him sniff through the grass. I ran through the field and let him chase me. He ate tons of meaty treats. Then, we all sat in the grass together and just decompressed from the events of the day. It was exactly what we all needed. He has done well since the accident and is still comfortable riding in vehicles, thankfully. It is hard to think that we could have lost everything that matters in a split second, but that is the reality of driving on the road.

Be prepared by researching and preparing for your pet's safety in the event of a car crash. Get the proper equipment, create safety protocols, and stick with it on EVERY car ride. We have all let our guard down one time or another and thought "just this one time" they can ride on our laps in the car, or "it's not far from home" and do not seatbelt the dog into the car.

Don't do it!

Be prepared, stick to your safety protocols, and be as safe as possible out there!

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References:

Blackstone, Ashley. (2018, Dec 07). South Carolina woman warns others after airbag crushes crate, killing dog. ABC News. https://abcnews4.com/news/local/lowcountry-woman-warns-others-after-dog-crushed-by-airbag

Haas, B., Doumouras, A. G., Gomez D., de Mestral, C., Boyes, D. M., Morrison, L. (2015). Close to home: an analysis of the relationship between location of residence and location of injury. J Trauma Acute Care Surg, 78(4). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4375775/

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Eileen Koval, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc (in Operations Management) is a fully certified dog behavior consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is currently working toward a M.S. in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare at Husson University. She believes the foundation of a good cross-species relationship is understanding the needs and normal behavior patterns of each dog as an individual, as he/she was bred to be. She enjoys helping humans and dogs communicate more effectively to create brilliant relationships with joy, purpose, and fulfillment for all species involved. She offers private consulting for serious dog behavior issues, obedience/manners, and agility training. Eileen developed a unique online course to help pet parents and trainers develop reliable snake avoidance behavior off-leash through positive reinforcement techniques. These techniques have been applied by trainers worldwide to teach dogs reliable avoidance of dangerous environmental hazards and off-leash property boundaries. She lives on a small ranch in Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and their Nederlandse Kooikerhondjes.