At just 30 mph, inertia turns your best friend into a lethal force. Most 'safety' gear fails instantly.
Objects in motion stay in motion. When your car stops, your dog doesn't—until they hit the dash or the windshield. This isn't an accident; it's physics.
A small 10-lb (4.5 kg) dog in a 50 mph (80 kph) crash hits with the force of 500 lbs (226 kg). Could your current harness hold that much weight?
Standard plastic buckles shatter at impact speeds. If your travel gear looks like your walking gear, it's a false sense of security that fails when it matters.
True safety gear uses seatbelt-grade webbing and all-metal mountaineering carabiners. If the manufacturer doesn't list tensile strength, don't trust it.
Even if the harness holds, a long tether lets your dog slam into the front seat back. You must keep the attachment short to prevent 'excursion' distance.
Single-point back attachments can cause the body to spin violently during impact. This rotational force leads to spinal trauma and broken ribs.
Standard wire crates 'pancake' on impact. Safety-rated crates use crumple zones to absorb energy before it ever reaches your dog inside.
Headrest posts aren't rated for 1,000lb (450kg) loads. They can snap. Always use the car’s designated LATCH points or the vehicle seatbelt itself.
Slack creates 'jerk' force that triples impact energy. You should fit exactly two fingers under the harness. Any looser and the protection disappears.
Airbags deploy with enough force to kill a restrained dog. To keep them alive, your pet must always stay in the rear of the vehicle.
Safety isn't about 'crash-tested' stickers. It's about managing kinetic energy, limiting excursion, and choosing metal over plastic every time.
Don't guess with your dog's life. See the independent crash test results and our top hardware picks.