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CENTER FOR PET SAFETY

Subaru Study Reveals Pets Are Not Safe in Pet Travel Seats

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Subaru of America and the Center for Pet Safety have completed the third and final phase of their joint pet travel safety initiative. The latest leg of the study has shown that pet travel seats do not offer the level of protection pet owners may think they provide.

Your pet is in danger and you may not even know it. At least any pet that travels with you in your car and is secured in a pet travel seat.

Subaru Pet
A pet “dummy” prepared for a
simulated crash test.
That’s one finding of a recently concluded study conducted by Subaru of America, Inc. in partnership with the Center for Pet Safety (CPS). The two organizations have tested a variety of pet travel products in recent years, including harnesses, pet crates and carriers. Phase three of the test is over and the results for pet travel seats are enlightening.

Pet travel seats may be used by pet owners as a way to hold or elevate a pet, but they do not offer complete control. Though pet travel seats may offer distraction prevention for drivers, they do not provide crash protection in the event of an accident, posing an injury risk to the pet as well as to humans.

The Subaru-CPS study was launched four years ago and has concluded with the following recommendations.

Subaru Pet
Improperly restrained, this dummy goes airborne.
First, cats and small dogs can benefit when pet owners select any one of three crates and carriers, which have received Top Performing product recognition from the center. You can find additional product information and links to the product pages here.

Second, for medium and large dogs the center has identified two types of products that have passed scientific scrutiny — one is a crate, the same product deemed ideal for smaller dogs and cats; the other is a certified harness.

The Subaru-CPS study is groundbreaking as it identifies an area of vehicular safety not previously studied or at least not to the extent where definitive and conclusive results have been reached and published.

Subaru, which has a reputation for being a pet-friendly automaker, conducted the study at an MGA Research Corporation facility approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for conducting crash tests. Specifically, Subaru used the same Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard crash conditions for child safety seats for the pet study.

Subaru Pet
This “pet” has been properly
restrained to survive an accident.
Notably, no animals were harmed with these testing procedures. Only uniquely constructed crash test dogs comprised of varying weights and sizes were utilized.

The pet safety study, published in three parts, has successfully raised awareness for consumers and manufacturers alike. On that note Lindsey Wolko, Center for Pet Safety’s founder and CEO stated in a press release, “We know the studies are making an impact because several product manufacturers have stepped up and are using our test dogs to improve their products while working toward Center for Pet Safety Certification — a major step forward for pet owners.”

That’s good news in an industry where human injuries and fatalities have been trending down sharply for decades as manufacturers incorporate advanced safety measures. Now pet owners are equipped with information they need to make informed decisions on how to care for their animals while in transit.

The Center for Pet Safety stresses that it has no affiliation with the pet product industry and does not accept funding from pet product manufacturers. Simply put, its recommendations are offered as a service to pet owners. The center operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and gladly accepts donations from the public.

Related Pet Safety Reading

Pet Safety: Subaru Goes for the Dogs

Bow Wow: Dog-Friendly Cars

Photos copyright Subaru of America, Inc.

Pet Safety: Subaru Goes for the Dogs

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Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety (CPS) have your pet in mind, especially dogs that ride in cars outfitted with pet restraints. Late last week, Subaru and the CPS announced the results of a collaborative study undertaken to study pet harnesses, particularly those where manufacturers make safety claims.

Pet Safety

Pet Safety Harness

The study results have shown that many pet car safety restraints are unsafe, falling to protect canine riders during an accident. CPS designed the pet harness study to reflect the same testing used to measure the performance of child safety seats. Unlike child safety restraints, there are no test protocols or performance standards to measure pet travel products. CPS along with Subaru have shown concern about the claims some manufacturers make, the latter especially significant as nearly half of Subaru owners are also pet owners and may bring their pets on the road with them.

Stated Michael McHale, director of communications at Subaru of America, Inc., “Safety for all passengers, including our pets, is very important to Subaru and to our drivers. Selecting the wrong harness could be just as detrimental as not using one at all. McHale also noted that most pet owners do not understand the importance of harnessing their pets while in the car.”

NHTSA Safety Standards

CPS and Subaru tapped MGA Research Corporation to conduct the laboratory testing. MGA is an independent National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) lab, and developed a test that parallels what real dogs would suffer during a crash. The crash test dogs were similar in size and shape to real pets, and included a 25 pound terrier mix, a 45 pound border collie, and a 75 pound golden retriever. The dogs were designed to appear as lifelike as possible, although the accompanying photo demonstrates that a “dummy” was used for each test.

Many owners consider their pets to be part of their family, a sentiment shared by Lindsey Wolko, founder and CEO for the Center for Pet Safety. Wolko said that CPS’ mission is “to communicate to pet owners that an effective harness should keep the pet in place to prevent distraction to the driver as well as offer measurable levels of protection to all passengers in the event of a crash.”

Sleepypod Clickit Utility Harness

Finishing on top of the test results was Sleepypod’s Clickit Utility Harness. It proved to be the lone harness to hold the dog on the seat, providing comprehensive protection for the pet and all passengers in an accident. An unrestrained pet can fly off of the seat and hit other passengers and the driver. Serious injury to man and beast alike would occur as the dog hits various structures inside of the cabin or crashes through the window to his likely death.

Michael Leung, Sleepypod co-founder and product designer, was clearly pleased by the results of the test noting that the company has been researching and crash testing pet safety restraints for six years. Said Leung, “We admire CPS and Subaru for conducting this study on behalf of pet owners and use the CPS testing protocols as an extension of our own safety program.” More information about Sleepypod is available on the company’s website.

As a result of Sleepypod’s exemplary performance, Subaru has promised to begin making these harnesses available through its dealers and via its Subaru Gear catalog.

Product Improvements Underway

Every company that had its product crash tested was invited to attend the product testing. Those that were not present were forwarded the results and several have already begun work on improving their products. A downloadable copy of the report is available on the Center for Pet Safety website.

CPS stresses that it has no ties with the pet product industry. The nonprofit organization makes use of scientific testing and references Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Those standards enable the CPS to study pet products and then establish both the criteria and test protocols for measuring pet safety products and the claims made by the manufacturers.

See Also — Subaru Study Reveals Pets Are Not Safe in Pet Travel Seats

Photo courtesy of the Center for Pet Safety.