Guidelines for Pets and Airbags

Air bags can pose a serious danger to pets riding in a vehicle. The pressure and speed with which an airbag deploys can easily injure a dog or cat placed too closely to the bag deployment site. Keeping a pet safe in the car is a matter of proper crating and positioning in the car.

  1. Warning

    • A pet sitting unprotected in the front seat of a vehicle or near the side air bags of a backseat can easily be injured or even killed in the event of an air bag deployment. Keep pets away from these areas of the car.

    Safe Seat

    • Traditionally, the safest "seat" for a pet in the car is in the middle of the vehicle. For example, the center seat of the middle row in a three-row vehicle, or in the floorboard of the backseat in a two-row vehicle.

    Restraining

    • Pets often become excited in the car, wanting to look out the window or join the driver in the front seat. Restraining the animal in the pre-determined "safe seat" of the car is essential to protect the animal from airbag injury.

    Kennelling

    • A dog or cat can be placed in a soft-lined kennel which can then be belted firmly to the seat or floorboard farthest from any air bags. A soft lining in the kennel will also assure the animal's safety in the event that the kennel tips over or the animal is unsteady and slides inside the kennel.

    Misconceptions

    • Some assume that since air bags provide protection for humans, they would provide the same protection for pets traveling in the car. But with air bags deploying at an average speed of 200 MPH, what cushions the impact of a crash for a human would be a bone-breaking force for an animal.