Pet safety is something that we must be very concerned with as pet owners. And a few years ago, the Center for Pet Safety (CPS) conducted tests on several popular pet crates and small carriers in order to see how well they would protect a pet during a collision.
Crash-Test Study
Their 2015 crash-test study was conducted in partnership with Subaru of America, in order to see how many pet products that are meant to secure our cats and dogs in our cars would hold up in a crash. Needless to say, they did not do a very good job. For the testing, CPA – which is a non-profit consumer advocacy group – didn’t use live animals, but instead used the help of weighted cat and dog dummies. Again, no actual animals were used in the testing.
The group used 8 different carrier models, and simulated a front crash at speeds of 30 mph. In order for the carrier to be considered safe, the dog dummy needed to be fully contained within the carrier, and that needed to remain intact. The sad news was that only two carriers managed to successfully meet the CPS’s safety criteria.
You Can Watch the Results in the Video Below:
A complete summary of the carrier results can be found here.
CPS also carried out tests on four different pet crates in order to see how the structure would hold up during collisions of 31 mph. In order to pass and be deemed “safe,” the crates needed to maintain their structural integrity. Out of the four, only one crate met the standards.
While the complete summary of the crate results are here.
Besides crates and carriers, CPS also tested pet travel seats, but these products didn’t hold up in the safety tests.
As stated in the video, “many manufacturers claim their products pass crash testing, but without uniform test standards these claims cannot be substantiated.”
That is why it is so important for pet owners to be aware and do their own research when purchasing any pet product for your car. Our furbabies’ lives are dependent on us taking proper precautions and steps to keep them safe while they drive around with us.
