Dogs might be a man’s best friend but they can be deadly in cars. The good news is that you can take steps to protect Fido and his cat friends – and you – in a car crash.

Authorities don’t have an official figure for the number of dog and cat deaths or serious injuries in car crashes, but it always been a concern for those in the crash safety field.

The RSPCA sells chest harnesses to help secure dogs in cars, but it is important to note that plastic clips are not suitable for use in motor vehicles. They are designed for dog walking. Only choose a pet harness that is the non adjustable variety (available in different sizes).

The chest harness can be attached to a three-point seatbelt or should be attached to the child restraint mounts using a sturdy restraining strap. Generally speaking, it is best to use the back seat, behind the front-seat passenger. This way, in the event of a crash, if there is still some movement in the seatbelt and the harness, it will less likely impact the driver’s seat.

Do not clip a dog in a harness in the front passenger’s seat if the car is equipped with a passenger’s airbag. The force of the airbag could be deadly. A harness can also be used to secure a dog in the cargo area of a wagon. But all wagons carrying dogs should have a cargo barrier or another sturdy divider.

An unrestrained dog in the back of a wagon without a divider could kill or seriously injure other car occupants in a crash as it flies forward on impact.
If your dog is well behaved don’t have a chest harness for your dog, A useful emergency location is to have it lie down on the back-seat floor behind the front passenger’s seat. This way, the dog can normally still see the driver and the seat can act as a type of buffer on impact.

In a ute or two-seater, another alternative is the footwell area near the front seat, although the driver may likely be distracted with the dog in view.

Having a dog clipped in a harness on the back seat or cargo area also reduces the risk of distraction. Restrained dogs tend to lay down once they realise that their movements are restricted.

Small dogs and cats are best to travel in a restrained padded container, and either placed on the back-seat floor behind the front passenger seat – or secured by a seatbelt in the back seat (not the front, because an airbag could impact the container).

There are guidelines for dogs travelling in the back of utes. A dog should be secured with a harness attached to a metal clip near the centre of the window section. The lead should be short enough that the dog can’t reach the outside of the ute tray.

Hopefully, if you follow these steps, your best friend will be around for a lot longer. And so, hopefully, will you.