Dog transport safety

[Judy]

Don't apologise, G, apart from the hair you have it exactly right...

[baguio]

Yes - surely it doesn't matter how posh your box is, unless its fixed (bolted down), it will travel in a crash.

Cheers, Terry

Have a look at a dog box in a car next time you get the chance Terry. I can assure you that they will not go anywhere in an accident provided the rear seats are in the normal up position. The box is too big to go out of a window or over the top of the rear seats so has no choice but to stay where it is. If my car was hit hard enough to make my dogs come out of the box or the box to get thrown out of it's normal position then I'm afraid that I'm not going to be around any more to worry about it and the dogs will be in a better place too!

[Judy]

How much load are modern rear seats designed to take? Assuming they are the only thing stopping the crate moving forwards. Mine fits the boot almost exactly so should be OK in that it has nowhere to go unless something such as the seats breaks. I think a smaller, one dog sized, crate would need tying down down to be completely safe.

[MTS]

My box is strapped down with ratchet stappers to floor anchor points but I wonder if they are strong enough to take an 40 MPH collision.

[Andrew]

I suspect in most cases when you hear the dog or dog box slamming into the sides of the boot it's time to re consider your driving methods and choice of floor covering/crate, personally i practise emergency stops and and harsh acceleration as I don't want the dog to anticipate its next move and the change in direction stops the dog from becoming bored.

sorry couldn't resist

[Polmaise]

How much load are modern rear seats designed to take?
The same as the front ones!...otherwise they would not be permitted.

Assuming they are the only thing stopping the crate moving forwards.
That may be so!...but they do not stop the dog within the crate,that would be a moving object within it.
Mine fits the boot almost exactly so should be OK in that it has nowhere to go unless something such as the seats breaks.
Your crate therefore would be safe!
I think a smaller, one dog sized, crate would need tying down down to be completely safe.
Not necessarilly ! just a smaller space for the dog to be 'hurtled' at the same speed/time/distance.

[Canburne]

Yes - surely it doesn't matter how posh your box is, unless its fixed (bolted down), it will travel in a crash.

Cheers, Terry

The rear seats are designed to protect passengers so if the transit cage is placed tight against the rear seats (when in they are in the correct uprighty position) the cage will not move forwards

[Megsdad]

I was in fire brigade from 1977 to 1985 and saw many vehicles involved in RTAs. There has been much concern in the car safety world about rear seats failing when hit by loose objects in the boot. This is a report about some tests that were done

http://www.anec.eu/attachments/tr005-03(pictures).pdf

I have my doubts that things have improved much especially as a lot of cars are designed so that the rear seat backs fold down to extend the boot space. The catches don't look very strong to me! Seat belt webbing has design breaking strength of around 2800kg (6000lbs). If I am in a car with stuff in the boot and no rear passengers I fasten the rear seat belts to buttress the seats in the event of a crash.

[Judy]

How much load are modern rear seats designed to take?
The same as the front ones!...otherwise they would not be permitted.

Assuming they are the only thing stopping the crate moving forwards.
That may be so!...but they do not stop the dog within the crate,that would be a moving object within it.
Mine fits the boot almost exactly so should be OK in that it has nowhere to go unless something such as the seats breaks.
Your crate therefore would be safe!
I think a smaller, one dog sized, crate would need tying down down to be completely safe.
Not necessarilly ! just a smaller space for the dog to be 'hurtled' at the same speed/time/distance.

The dogs don't have a great deal of movement within the crate unless we are off to a 1 to 1 then they have to take a chance. I do know of a Flatcoat which was crated during a roll over accident in a Freelander, the driver and passenger escaped unscathed, the dog broke its back being flung about the cage. It recovered eventually but how much worse might that accident have been if an un-contained, fully grown Flatcoat was flying about the interior of the car? Doesn't bear thinking about.

A one dog crate has room to move around the boot as well as the dog moving within the crate so, therefore, needs tying down.

Good point Megsdad, I shall try to remember that.

MTS I suspect the weakest point in your set up would be the anchorage points, the ratchet straps would be OK as long as they are of reasonable size and not frayed or knotted (knotting webbing dramatically reduces strength if I remember rightly).

[baguio]

I'm sure that we have all seen the adverts for wearing seat belts in the back seats of cars where the child in the back goes head to head with the driver as the car comes to a sudden stop. Why is it then that so many people are quite happy to allow their dogs to roam free in their car. Do they think that the same thing could not possibly happen with a dog? How long before it's law to have your dog contained in the boot of the car? Soon I hope for the sake of the owner and the dogs!