I recently saw a photo on Facebook of a friend driving with a dog. I messaged the friend and asked if I could use the above photo on one of our blogs as well! I unfortunately also had to tell the friend that the photo will be used in a post on what not to do when driving with pets!
South Africans love their pets and in the social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter we often find pics of our friends with their pets. We also easily express our anger at those abusing animals – and sometimes friends even share these horrific pics on Facebook to try and gather attention and mass protest.
Unfortunately – as with other threats to road safety such as cellular phone conversations, failure to wear seatbelts and drunken driving – we regularly get home unscathed despite breaching safety principles. The same applies to travelling with our pets and driving with children not buckled in.
We should avoid these temptations to avoid strict safety measures! On the Arrive Alive website we have shared a page of content on Road Safety and Travelling with Pets and would like to quote briefly from this:
Restraining the Pet
It is of the utmost importance that the driver of the vehicle is not distracted by fellow passengers – irrespective of whether these are humans or animals!
- Net pet barriers can keep animals in the safe area of your vehicle and keep them from distracting the driver.
- Truly pampered pets can ride in style in booster seats, right next to their owners.
- These pet travel seats are supported from below, so your pet has a great view along with a comfortable ride. There are straps to secure your pet to the basket of the booster seat.
- There are various sizes of padded pet vehicle safety harnesses that secure your pet to the vehicle’s seat belt system.
- The safety harness keeps your pet from distracting the driver and keeps your pet secure in the event of a sudden stop.
- If you are involved in a car accident, the restraining device will keep your companion animal from crashing into the front window or car seat.
View for more detailed information:
Road Safety and Traveling with Pets