Traveling With Your Dog Safely

You hear about buckling up for safety in the car, and even about strapping in your children, but what about restraining your pets? Pet car safety while traveling with pets is an increasingly popular subject among pet parents—and with good reason! Having pets in the car can lead to distracted driving, which is a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 15% of injury crashes in 2015 were a result of distracted driving. With almost 30% of pet owners admitting that their pets in the car causes a distraction (AAA/Kurgo Pet Passenger Safety Survey, 2011), it's clear that strapping up your dog is an essential part of car safety.

We talked to Melanie Monteiro, a Los Angeles, California-based pet safety expert and author of “The Safe Dog Handbook," to find out how to reduce the risk of distraction and keep your dog contained and restrained on the road for both their safety and yours.