The Road Safety Authority's new campaign on road safety neglects one issue -- traveling safely with animals in the car. It is important that you and your passengers buckle up, whether your passenger has 2 legs or 4 legs! The proper safety measures can save both your life and your pet's.
When going on a car journey, regardless of how short it is, you must keep animals restrained. This will prevent them from jumping onto the dashboard or out the window, or even sitting or standing in your lap while you are driving. If you have a cat or small dog, the easiest mode of transport is a travel cage. You can attach the cage to the seat belt for extra security. For larger dogs, use a dog seat belt. This is a harness that you can connect to the seat belt. You can also use the harness for walking when you take you dog out of the car. If your car is large enough, you can fit a large cage or divider to create a separate area for your dog. We have had clients that have either been in car accidents or received a ticket for having an animal loose in the car.
Once your dog is safely in the car, lock the doors and turn on the child locks. The same goes for automatic windows. Dogs are curious creatures and may stand on the window button or on the door handle, thus opening the window or door. As a vet, I have seen a number of dogs that have either jumped out an open window of a moving car, or been injured by flying debris after sticking its head out the window. These are avoidable accidents.
Whenever you travel with your pet, no matter how short the journey, always make sure that you have a collar and ID tag on your pet. Your should also get your pet microchipped, as this is a permanent form of identification implanted under the skin by a simple injection. When a stray animal is brought to a vet, animal shelter, or dog pound, a scanner reads the microchip number. This number is put into a database and your contact details can be retrieved to reunite you with your pet. If your pet is already microchipped, please make sure that your contact details are correct.
Always travel with extra leads, collars, blankets, and water. You never know when these can come in handy. Also keep a supply of plastic bags, poop bags, and paper towels to clean up any messes inside and outside your car! If going on a long journey, bring water with you. There are non-spill water dishes available that are great for car trips.
Most importantly, NEVER leave your pet in the car. Your pet can get hypothermia in cold temperatures and hyperthermia in average to hot temperatures. Your car can become an icebox or an oven, even if the windows are open.
From Animals First Pet Safety Authority!
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