Their crate is positioned so they stay safe.
I see it all too often people driving around with their little dogs sitting on their laps leaning on the steering wheel of the car. Or on the Drivers laps with their head out the window. These are the times when I wish I could just pull over another driver and let them know why their little adventure is so unsafe for them and their pet.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recommends Drivers should sit with their chests at least 10 inches away from the center of the steering wheel. Many newer airbags take into account seating position and deploy with less force if an occupant is sitting close.However these newer smart airbags only take into account your seat position not the fact that you have a small dog on your lap which is in no way 10 inches from the airbag. Not to be overly gruesome but do you know what the airbag will do to the little dog in your lap. The one you love so much you want to take on a little adventure and think it is cruel to keep them in a bag or crate because they love driving so much? They will be squished. Its seems that airbag deploy at about 200 miles an hour because they have to be fully inflated when your body is in forward motion. The whole process takes under a fraction of a second. Is this really the special treat you want your pet to have? Wouldn't it be more special to keep them safe in the car and go somewhere special for them whether that is to the local Pet Supply Store or a doggy play date. Train your dogs to not mind the crate or carrying bag or seat restraint or gate to keep them in the back seat or cargo area.
When putting your dog or cat in a crate DO NOT buckle the crate into a seat restraint. The crate will rip apart in a high velocity crash with your pet still inside. Instead use blankets and pillows to line the crate and if possible bumpers like in a baby's crib to keep their heads from crashing into the crate. A crash happens in a fraction of a second so a sleeping dog will probably still be laying down in an accident so the bumpers would protect them. Teach your pet to lay down in the crate when you are driving. A restless dog pacing around their crate while you are driving on the highway can be a distraction when driving as well.
Any type of restraint that keeps your dog in its place in a crash is safer for you and your pet.
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