MIMSafe Blog

Many countries now have laws about travelling with your dog in a car. However, many people, from those with their first puppy to those who have had dogs for years, aren’t aware of these laws.
Making sure your dog is secured in your car is important, not just for their safety, but for your safety (and that of your passengers, too).

Danger Factor: Dog Weight at Speed

According to a report by the American Automobile Association (AAA), an unrestrained 10-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph exerts around 300 pounds of pressure. But an unrestrained 80-pound dog in a 30-mph crash will exert approximately 2,400 pounds of pressure. That’s not just incredibly dangerous for your dog, but for you too; any unrestrained weight can become a projectile weapon when your car brakes quickly or suffers an impact.
An unrestrained dog may also leap out of an open window or into your lap, if scared or excited—and they could suffer an injury if your car has airbags. Using a dog car crate can prevent this.

Danger Factor: Distraction While Driving

Unrestrained pets are a serious cause of driver distraction. Turning to look at them, having them sitting next to you, trying to stop them leaping about, seeing them jump up in your mirror: they can all divert your attention from the road.
A 2019 study by Volvo Car USA and The Harris Poll revealed that unrestrained pets more than double the incidences of unsafe driving behaviours and distracted periods, and increase stress in both drivers and their dogs. And the AAA & Kurgo Pet Passenger Survey revealed even more distracting interactions, including giving treats to dogs and taking their photo! Yet according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, looking away from the road for just two seconds doubles your risk of a crash.

What’s the Pet Restraint Law in Your Country?

UK: Contrary to popular belief, unrestrained pets aren’t against the law per se. However, Highway Code Rule 57 says animals should be “suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly.” Breaking the Highway Code isn’t an offence but may be used to prove your liability for an accident or contribute to an offence such as ‘careless and inconsiderate driving’. An on-the-spot fixed penalty notice gives you a £100 fine and three points on your licence in ‘low harm’ cases, but more serious incidents can lead to court appearances, an unlimited fine, up to 9 points on your licence and even disqualification from driving. And If a road traffic accident is caused by an unrestrained dog, your driver’s insurance may be invalidated.

Australia, Canada and the US: laws differ between states and provinces, but most prohibit transporting your dog in a closed trunk or on your lap. Where dog restraint isn’t law, unrestrained pets can still be a factor in ‘distracted driving’ laws.

Why Crates are Best:

There are various options for restraining your dog, but a crash tested crate is the safest way to restrain your dog in a car.  It is imperative that the crate manufacturer has performed crash tests that the crate has passed in order to guarantee your dog’s safety and that of you and your passengers.  If your dog wriggles out of a harness or it fails in an accident, they may get loose and run away into traffic. A crate gives your dog an extra level of protection in a crash and ensures they’re safely contained. It also eliminates distractions while you’re driving.

MimSafe make it easy to find the right crate for you, your dog and your car. Use our car model search to find crates suitable for your car, or our crate fit search if you have a crate in in mind and need to know if it will fit.

Heavy duty dog crates; heavy duty in more ways than one.

1. The safest crate in a road traffic accident

Our crates are crush proof and are the only crates to be crash tested to the same standards as baby seats. They are thought to be the safest on the market due to the unique diligence of crash tests that we carry out.
We’ve examined the data from hundreds of accidents and we’ve conducted countless crash tests to replicate collision conditions in order to design and fully test our crates. You can read more about how our crates protect dogs and humans in the event of an accident in the following articles:
MIMSafe Variocage Keeps Dog Safe During Horrific Accident
Two Years After The Accident…

2. Withstands destruction from dogs

We have never had a dog destroy any of our dog crates or cages, ever. They are built using high quality stainless steel, which is the safest material to use due to the slight give and flexibility it exhibits during an impact. This helps to keep your whole family safe: dogs and your other passengers.
Dogs are unable to chew through or damage any of the elements that are crates are built from.

3. Escape proof

Our crates are extremely well built in order to withstand any impact. Your dog could try as hard as he likes but he will not succeed in forcing his way out of one of our heavy duty dog crates.
The one-hand quick release mechanisms can not be accessed by your dog from inside of the crate and the door has a built-in locking mechanism with key.

4. Strong enough to withstand whatever you do to it

Whether you have the crate in the boot of your vehicle alongside heavy tools, frequently transfer it from one vehicle to another, drop it or use it constantly, with big muddy dogs every day, our heavy duty dog crates will withstand whatever you throw at them (literally!)!
They are strong, durable and fully washable so you’ll be able to keep them clean and looking as good as new. What’s more, our durable nylon bumper cover (https://mimsafeuk.com/product/mimsafe-bumper-cover/), also available in our shop, will protect your bumper and the back of your vehicle from wet, muddy dogs jumping in and out after walks.

To find out more about our VarioCages and other products, please visit our shop.

Our dogs are fantastic companions and are part of the family so when they are afraid of going in the car or get puppy travel sickness, it’s scary for your dog and disappointing for the rest of the family. Having to remember to take cleaning up equipment is a hassle and actually getting the dog to get into the car can become a big problem when they are determined not to get in. And dogs that pace about, scratch at the crate, pant and salivate heavily can be distracting, annoying and are demonstrating that they are distressed.

It’s best to get your puppy used to the car when he or she is very young by gradually increasing the puppy’s exposure to different aspects of travelling in a vehicle.

Safety first!

Firstly, ALWAYS keep your pet restrained. Don’t be tempted to keep him or her on your knee. This is dangerous for both you and your puppy. If you were to have a road traffic accident, either or both of you could be severely injured and having a loose dog in the car can make accidents more likely.
One of our crash tested crates is ideal as it keeps both your pet safe as well as the rest of your family should the worst happen and you are involved in a collision.

Here are our recommendations for preventing puppy travel in sickness in young dogs:

1. Start off by sitting with your puppy in the area where you would like them to travel with the engine turned off. Give your pup treats, lots of praise and bring their favourite toys. Make the car time a fun time, for just a few minutes at a time.

2. Once your dog is happy and relaxed in his or her space in the vehicle, move so that you are now sitting in the front behind the wheel. Toss treats back when they are quiet and calm. A stuffed kong or other treat-dispensing toy is a great way to help them settle and understand that even though you are not right next to them, they are not alone in a scary place. This will help the puppy to build a positive association with being in the car but away from you.
Remember that giving your puppy attention when he or she is whining, screaming or barking will reinforce the behaviour so try and wait before this has stopped before speaking to them or going back to them. Then next time try and make sure it doesn’t happen by providing a kong filled with a higher value filling or giving them something else that they love and will keep them busy. If you have another dog, then his or her presence will help to keep the puppy calm, so long as the older dog is not an anxious traveller.
Keep your energy positive and bright to give your puppy confidence that there is nothing to worry about.

3. Start to progress the training by starting the engine for a minute or so then turning it off. Try and time this with giving the puppy the kong or a treat so that he learns that when the engine turns on, good things happen, instead of feeling scared of the noise and the strange sensation.

4. Gradually build up more of a typical car journey – start by backing out of the drive then in again, then go round the block, then go short distances. Taking the pup short distances to a place that he or she loves will further build up his or her positive association with the car.

If your dog seems scared at any point, go back a step to the point where he or she was last relaxed and work back through the steps very gradually.
It takes only a week or so to get a puppy used to car travel and avoid puppy travel sickness and it is time well invested for lots of easy car journeys throughout the rest of his or her life.

Invest in a crash tested dog crate

Ideally also invest in a crash tested dog crate that will significantly improve the chances of keeping your family safe in the event of a collision. Our crates are the ONLY crates in the world that are crash tested to the same standards as baby seats. They are designed by some of the world’s leading dog vehicle safety technicians who have examined the data from hundreds of crash tests and accident reports. You wouldn’t put your baby in a cheap crate or harness so don’t do the same with your dog.

Find out more about our dog safety crate options in our shop.

VarioCage Single XL

Our very strong, crash tested and crush proof dog car boot cages are recognised as the safest crates available for dog transportation. This is because they are the only dog crates that are fully crash tested to the same standards as baby and child seats. They fit securely into the boot of your car and are designed to keep your pet safe while also protecting passengers and the driver.

Our crates are built to absorb the energy created in a collision. This ensures that the dog is fully protected in a safe space inside the crate, but also that the crate absorbs energy and is not pushed forward into the rear passenger seat, causing injury to passengers.

Only in the Car Boot

We are often asked why dog car boot cages can not be used elsewhere in the vehicle. We always recommend that the Variocages are only used in the car boot. The back seat in vehicles is built to form a very effective barrier between the luggage compartment and the passengers in the car, protecting them from an impact in the event of an accident. Our primary aim is to keep passengers and their animals safe, so we build our VarioCages to make use of, and work in conjunction with, this barrier.

In an Impact

VarioCages, our dog car boot cages, are fully adjustable in length so the dog will be able to make use of the maximum space available in the luggage area. This also means that the crate can be pushed together, so that when a vehicle is hit from behind, the crate is compressed during the impact. The dog is safe because, in an impact, the animal is already pushed towards the front or back of the crate due to the force of the impact, so the crate compressing slightly will not injure the animal. The dynamics that are created in an accident ensure that this is a safe way of protecting our dogs. We have seen in many real life accidents that our crates compress safely with very little injury to dogs other than bruising. You can see some examples of how our dog cages stand up in the event of an accident in our blog.

Care2 Crate

The only exception is the Care2 crate for very small dogs. These crates are built for very small breeds such as papillons, yorkies, chihuahuas, pomeranians etc, and are designed to be held in place by the car seat belts, in the same way as a baby seat. This keeps them secure in the event of an accident and will not leave passengers vulnerable to injury. Any dog not properly restrained in a vehicle has the potential to become a lethal missile during an impact. A very small dog weighing only 2kg could hit passengers with a force of 260kg during an accident. That’s the same as 40 bowling balls!

Visit our shop to find out more about our dog cages for car boots and our Care2 dog crates.

The many benefits of keeping dogs as companions are well documented, from keeping us fitter and reducing our risk of heart disease to increasing our opportunities for socialisation. But now a recent study has revealed that travelling with dogs may also keep us safer and less stressed while driving.

A survey of 2000 dog-owning driving license holders carried out by car manufacturer Seat found that 54% of people report that they drive more carefully than usual when travelling with dogs in the car.  The survey also found that people reported lower stress levels when driving with their pets, potentially reducing the risk of road rage.

Reported by The Times, the survey suggests that the effect is particularly likely to affect younger drivers with over two-thirds of 18 to 24-year-olds driving more carefully when accompanied by their pet whilst motorists in London and the South East are most likely to be positively influenced whilst accompanied by their dogs.

Nigel Griggs, Director of Aftersales at Seat said: “Everyone knows that the British Public is passionate about dogs.  However, this study confirms that having their best friend in the car can contribute to safer driving while also having a positive mental health benefit by reducing stress.  It appears to be a win-win.”   

He went on to add: “Motorists still need to make sure they’re keeping their dogs safe while travelling, finding comfortable and secure in-car pet accessories is as important as using your own seat belt.”

Unfortunately, the survey also found that over one-third of people were not aware of the laws governing travelling with pets whilst a fifth of respondents did not use any type of dog restraint while driving.

Driving without properly restraining your pet not only risks the safety of your dog but also puts other members of your family at risk in the event of a collision.  Drivers travelling without restraining their pets could face fines of up to £5,000 and receive up to nine points on their license for driving without due care and attention.  Travelling with unrestrained pets can also invalidate your insurance.

MIMSafe Variocage dog crates, guards and tailgates are fully crash tested, crush proof and safe.  We have a wide range of options and sizes for different animals and vehicles so there will be an option for everyone.  Invest in the safety of your dogs and your family and check out our pet transportation ranges.

References:

• https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/going-at-a-fair-lick-let-the-dog-calm-you-down-lfprz2g73
• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8273177/Ruff-ride-Driving-dog-car-encourages-motorists-careful-study-reveals.html

Grab This Unique Opportunity To Top Up Your Income During Lockdown—And Beyond!

Are you a dog training, grooming or dog day care professional?  A licensed dog breeder or a successful dog sports enthusiast?  Do you already sell dog-related products or manage a boarding kennel?  Are you or your pet well-known social media influencers?

If so, then we have a great opportunity for you!  We’re offering up to 100 people across the UK an exciting yet easy way to top up their income by becoming a MIMSafe ambassador.  We at MIMsafe understand that in this uncertain time we all have to do as best we can to stay safe and well and continue to lead as normal a life as possible. This includes keeping the commercial world going from our homes.

With this in mind, we’d like to offer you a welcome opportunity to do just that by introducing to you a brand new sales method called The Ambassador Scheme.

Are you our ideal MIMSafe ambassador?

We’re looking for:

• Professionals in different dog-related fields
• Enthusiasts from a range of dog sports
• Respected, licensed breeders, members of the KC assured breeder scheme
• Dog or dog-related social media influencers with a significant following
• Anyone passionate about improving dog travel safety in the UK

Your commitment

As a MIMSafe ambassador, all you need to do is:

Have one of our world-leading transportation crates fitted into your vehicle free of charge—and recommend it to people you come into contact with.

That’s all.

There’s NO financial outlay of any kind.

There’s NO CHARGE for use of the crate. 

You DON’T have to be a salesperson or a marketing expert.

You just need to understand that in a road traffic accident, a good quality car crate can make the difference between the life and death of your pets and passengers—and believe in the safety, quality, and design of our products. That’s easy, as all our car crates are crush-proof, and crash tested to the same standards as baby and child seats, making them THE safest way to transport your beloved dogs and keep you and your family safe.  MIMSafe crates also have many extra convenient features that will make traveling with your dogs a safer, easier, and more pleasurable experience!

Why a Top Quality Car Crate is Vital—for You and Your Dog

Studies have found that many people in the UK aren’t aware of the importance of properly restraining their pet while traveling—not just to comply with the law (driving with an unrestrained pet in the vehicle is illegal and could invalidate motor insurance policies), but to ensure the safety of not only their dog but themselves and their passengers too.

Most cages and harnesses on the market will only restrain pets, not protect them from an impact.  Dogs that do survive an impact are often thrown from vehicles, either into the path of oncoming traffic, or to run, terrified, from the scene.  And even a small dog weighing only 2kg can hit passengers with a force of up to 260kg in a car collision of 56mph.  That’s the equivalent of 40 bowling balls…

What we offer you, as a MIMSafe Ambassador:

• A MIMSafe Variocage of your choice to use for promotion, keeping you, your passengers, and your dog(s) safe, completely free of charge, for the first 6 months.
• The option to buy your crate at a significantly discounted price after 6 months.
• You will be contributing to both the improved safety of animals in transportation and of humans travelling with them.
• There are no catches and you will be able to sell a product that is the best in the world.
• A support team on hand to answer any queries
• Commission for every item sold—we know that once people have seen one of our crates being used first-hand, they’re very likely to buy one.

Don’t delay! This opportunity is only available for the next couple of months, so if you’re interested in becoming one of our ambassadors, get in touch today!

Email us on sales@mimsafeuk.com or call 01256 674547