Do Seat Belts

[daddysmonkey]

Dog Seat Belts

...Do you use them? I'll admit, I let my dog sort of roam around the backseat as we ride. He knows not to come into the front seat, and I tie his leash to the headrest so he doesn't jump out of the car when doors get opened, but should I be belting him in?

 

[Lizzie]

I have seen some dog car seats, and I think they are a good idea. I see people riding with their dogs head out the window and I worry about their safety.

 

[daddysmonkey]

Yeah, my dog loves to stick his head out the window, but I roll the windows up if I'm driving somewhere with high speed like on the freeway. Usually he's only in the car for short, slow rides to the dog park.

 

[minyoung]

...Do you use them? I'll admit, I let my dog sort of roam around the backseat as we ride. He knows not to come into the front seat, and I tie his leash to the headrest so he doesn't jump out of the car when doors get opened, but should I be belting him in?

I don't use it either. But I think I'm gonna be using it soon. Yesterday, the dog trespassed his boundary while I was trying to negotiate a sharp turn. Maybe he got excited or maybe I was driving too fast while turning so he panicked. Anyhow, what he did was not funny.

 

[coup]

Click it or ticket! Hehe, for me that goes for everything. I used to be a volunteer at the fire station. You would not believe how many runs I was in where the injury was cause my something unsecured. This includes people and dogs, and the lesser known booster seat. If no one is sitting in a booster seat it should be buckled down.

 

[Dale]

I've heard that most vehicle accidents occur very close to home. Because of that, even if I'm only going a short way, I buckle up and make everyone else with me do it too. I get flack about it, but I don't care.

 

[Kohn]

First of all, I seldom let my dog into my car. He has a place at home and that's where he stays. In picnics he comes but he follows rules. By that I mean he--most especially--follows rules.

 

[AllenWrench]

I always make sure my monster is belted in. For one, he is a dog, he's not going to always remember the rules. It's like expecting a 5 year old child to remember and obey the rules all of the time. The second reason is, I don't want a 65 pound missile in the car if I would happen to wreck. That much weight going that fast would be fatal either to him or me. I want to make sure we both have the safest situation so he and I both are belted in as we should be.

 

[Chandler]

That's a good point Allen. Even if the animal is just 5-10 pounds, if that 5-10 pounds is flying through the air, it can be deadly at certain speeds. I always want anything that is loose in the vehicle secured if at all possible. Things that move on their own more so.

 

[minyoung]

That's a good point Allen. Even if the animal is just 5-10 pounds, if that 5-10 pounds is flying through the air, it can be deadly at certain speeds. I always want anything that is loose in the vehicle secured if at all possible. Things that move on their own more so.

True. The key concept that we need to internalize --- I think --- is momentum. In Physics, it's mass x velocity. We don't mess with momentum at high speeds. A small pebble suspended on the air that happens to be on our path while we travel at 60mph can break our windshield. How much more for a 5-10 pounder that's not secured as we make a sudden stop?