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Friday, July 22, 2011

Drivers Are Dangerously Distracted By Their Dogs

Overall, nearly six in 10 respondents (56%) reported driving with their dogs at least once in the past month, and more alarmingly, nearly one in five drivers (19%) have taken a hand off the wheel to keep their pet from jumping into the front seat. Other doting drivers confessed to letting their dogs sit on their laps (17%), feeding them treats (13%), or snapping photos of them (3%). (If you own a dog as cute as Boo, the Facebook sensation, then how can you resist, right?)
Man's best friend may not be the best driving companion.
 


Unrestrained dogs can be a dangerous distraction to drivers and increase the risk of accidents, according to a survey conducted by AAA and Kurgo, a manufacturer of pet travel products.  The AAA/Kurgo online poll sampled 1,000 dog owners who had driven with their pets in the last year.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about a driver that think it's cute to have fido sitting on their lap. You do not have full control of the vehicle when the pet is sitting in your lap. What scares me the most is these people do not realize that if they are in an accident their body will crush the pet between them and the steering wheel or the air bag. That is A LOT of force. If you love Fido leave him safe at home.

Anonymous said...

driving with my wife is more distracting than driving with Fido.....

lmclain said...

I'm sensing an opportunity here....I KNOW that somewhere in the government, some staffer is looking up the number of deaths caused by pets in a vehicle. Soon, citing the horrible number of deaths caused by pets in the car (7 people died since 1949!!!!), we will need a NEW law, with the accompanying heavy fine (maybe a mandantory animal cruelty class too, taught by a double -dipping retired state cop and paid for with an additional FEE). Don't laugh.