In the event of a car crash, you want your whole family to be safe – and that includes the four-legged family members. But will a car harness actually save your dog from injury? And will it keep other passengers in the car safe?
Engineers from the NRMA Insurance Research Centre tested six car harnesses for dogs and found only two would offer protection for you and your pet in a collision.
Buckle up, boy
An effective harness is critical when travelling with a dog.
It keeps the animal safe and restrained.
The driver is less likely to be distracted by their pet moving around.
An unrestrained dog could injure other passengers in a collision.
Crash test puppy
NRMA’s testing was conducted by dropping weighted harnesses at speeds of up to 35km/h. The in-car testing was conducted using a specially modified crash test car at speeds of up to 20km/h.
Of the six harnesses tested, only two restrained the ‘dummy’. This was due to weak plastic buckles similar to those used on many backpacks.
Verdict
People who use a dog harness want to keep their pets safe. However, the testing has shown that most harnesses were effective at restraining pets while driving, but do little to prevent injury in a common low-speed crash.
Harness
Result
Source: Information provided by the NRMA Insurance Research Centre in December 2013
Matthew Steen is the Director of Reviews and testing, which conducts all the testing content for CHOICE. He has worked for CHOICE for more than 20 years, from customer service to testing and content production.
Matthew is driven to work at CHOICE for its mission, and the people that it attracts, from staff to members, all dedicated to making Australia more fair, safe and just.
Matthew represents CHOICE as a council member on the Standards Australia Council. He is also responsible for ensuring CHOICE stays carbon neutral.
Matthew has a Bachelor of Humanities in Ethics from Queensland University of Technology.
Find Matthew on LinkedIn.
Matthew Steen is the Director of Reviews and testing, which conducts all the testing content for CHOICE. He has worked for CHOICE for more than 20 years, from customer service to testing and content production.
Matthew is driven to work at CHOICE for its mission, and the people that it attracts, from staff to members, all dedicated to making Australia more fair, safe and just.
Matthew represents CHOICE as a council member on the Standards Australia Council. He is also responsible for ensuring CHOICE stays carbon neutral.
Matthew has a Bachelor of Humanities in Ethics from Queensland University of Technology.
Find Matthew on LinkedIn.
