Dog owners flunk AAA's driving survey; Too many are distracted by pets

[The Straight Story]

Dog owners flunk AAA's driving survey; Too many are distracted by pets

Fido may love to ride in the car, but too many owners are putting themselves and their beloved pets in danger by engaging in distracting behaviours on the road, according to one recent survey of dog owners.

The survey - conducted by the American Automobile Association and Kurgo, a manufacturer of pet travel products - examined the behind-the-wheel habits of dog owners who travel with their pets.

Nearly six in 10 drivers - 56 per cent of respondents - said they travel by car with their dog at least once a month. Respondents admitted to petting their dogs (52 per cent), taking their hands off the wheel to hold the dog while braking (23 per cent), and using their hands to prevent the dog from getting into the front seat (19 per cent), according to the survey.

The AAA foundation for traffic safety said that looking away from the road for 2 seconds doubled the chance of being in a crash.


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/owners+flunk+driving+survey/5198329/story.html#ixzz1Tyx1pDIp

[OnyxCollie]

1. Guilty. nt

[Snoutport]

4. +1

[get the red out]

9. I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off your pretty dog!

I am fortunate, our dog behaves wonderfully in the car, sits or stands quietly in the back and looks out the windows. I also have one of those things to put between the seats to keep her from flying through if I break too hard.

But, I am quite guilty when it comes to my Mom's dog, she is a 5 1/2 Papillion who is VERY noisy if she doesn't get her way and since Mom no longer drives I take her to the vet and groomer and such and little miss fuzz ball wore me down with that toy dog yapping and I just started putting her in my lap, where she shifts around trying to look out the window and rubbing against my arms and hands for me to pet her while I drive. NOT GOOD :(.

[dmallind]

2. non sequitur

None of the activities mentioned requires, or is even all that connected to, the risk-increasing activity assumed.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Have you ever been broadsided at an intersection by someone

who had his eyes on the road (but splitting his attention, didn't notice the light was red)?

I'll bet you think talking on the phone while driving is OK so long as it is a 'hands-free' phone.

[LanternWaste]

11. Nope. Nor does popping open a beer can...

Nope. Nor does popping open a beer can...

[phusion]

13. What's with all the personal insults?

I thought this kind of thing was not allowed here...

This site has really changed over the years, and not for the better.

[hlthe2b]

3. How exactly is this any different than the distraction of a child in the car?

Bullshit.

[saras]

12. Simple - a child that behaves this badly gets tied down with a seat belt

Whereas the dog owners keep on turning around and wrestling with the dogs in the back seat. If someone is stupid enough to let a kid run free in a car while having a tantrum, climbing over the seat, crawling down among the pedals, getting in the driver's face and stopping them from seeing - THEN it's not any different.

[TBF]

6. In my car the kids are a bigger distraction -

the dog is only with me once a week for doggy daycare, but he rides in the way-back of my small wagon. He's quiet and looks out the window. The kids, even with seatbelts in the backseat, are far more distracting.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. Rubbish study. Ask how many drivers are distracted by cheeseburgers or kids.

[NeedleCast]

14. All problems easily fixed by using a pet harness in your vehicle.

My Pit loves to ride in my Wrangler. All these problems are easily solved by using a pet harness that works with your car's seatbelts to keep Fido from moving around. The harness gives my dog enough room to stand or lay down comfortably and keeps her in one seat. I do pet my dog while driving, but usually while stopped at a light. I don't have to worry about holding the dog while braking or preventing the dog from moving around, as the harness does that.

[Dappleganger]

15. Agreed, we use pet harnesses as well.

Two dogs are perfectly fine with it, but one doxie just freaks out when she can't bop around. Thank goodness the dog park is just a 10 minute ride.

[NeedleCast]

16. for your Doxie, maybe try putting her in the harness in other situations first

Our Pit had some issues with it at first. We fixed that problem by putting the harness on her around the house, for about 10-15 minutes at a time. Then we walked her on the harness for two weeks. By the time we went back to using it on her in the Jeep again, she was comfortable with it.

[Dappleganger]

18. It's just her personality in the car...

she wears a harness for her leash every day with no problem, so that's not the issue. She just wants to be able to run around the car like a little lost child. We even bought the doxies a booster seat for short dogs and hooked them both up together--she still freaks out. Everyone else is so well behaved, ugh. Our lab and the other doxie look at her as if she's nuts.

[NeedleCast]

19. I hear ya

Each one a different personality. I know it.

[Dappleganger]

20. She was even like that on a trip we took up the east coast last year...

eventually she tired out and laid down, but whenever we took a break and returned to the car she'd stress out again. We gave her benadryl a couple of times but I don't like to do that too often.

[LWolf]

17. My dog loves to ride.

I don't take her as often as I did when she was young; I lived closer to town then. Now, living well outside, I make fewer but longer trips, and I don't like to leave her cooped up for multiple errands.

She still wants to ride, though. When the weather is nice, she rides in the bed of the truck, leashed. When it's not, she rides with me. She won't ride in the extra cab; she has to ride in the passenger seat. She mostly doesn't distract me; she'll curl up in a ball and relax. When she's looking out the window, though, she can be distracting. She's an aussie and STRONGLY territorial. She has nothing to say about cars, but pedestrians, bicycles, and other dogs can send her into a frenzy of barking.

The reality is that she just wants to be where I am. No matter where that is. If I hook up a harrow to drag around the weeds, she wants to ride. When I ride a horse out the gate, she's there, and will go many miles without a problem, even at 8 years old.

I generally don't take my hand off the wheel to manage her. I have been known to drive with one hand, and leave the other resting on her head. It makes her happy. I generally drive one handed anyway, whether she is there or not. When I'm braking, one hand is usually on the gear shift. If I wanted to keep her out of the front seat, I'd leash her in the back. It's a pretty simple solution.