Is your car on the list?
We all know that for many people out there - staff members at Autobytel included - our pets are truly like family members. In fact, these furry friends may even sometimes be preferred company as opposed to your human family but that is neither here nor there. So it just makes sense then that so many people like to bring their family pets with them wherever they go in the car, truck or SUV depending on your automotive preference.
Now, what most people don’t think about is the fact that pets can become serious safety hazards if allowed to roam without a restraint harness inside a moving motor vehicle. That’s why BarkBuckleUp.com started advocating the use of some form of pet restraint whenever your cat, dog or gerbil is riding in the family car.
Bark founder Christina Selter gave us this frightening statistic about what happens if you have a front end collision with an unrestrained dog, “When driving at 35 mph a 60-pound unrestrained dog can cause an impact of 2,700 pounds slamming into a car seat, windshield, or passenger.” That doesn’t sound like it would be too good for the driver, any passengers and most especially Fido.
But beyond recommending that every pet owner buckle their furry friends when in an automobile, she also has the following recommendations as to which ten new 2012 models are the most pet friendly. Considerations were made for models with rear seat air conditioning vents (to keep pets cool), those with back-up cameras, vehicles with side airbags and most importantly the vehicles with the handiest D-rings which are essential for buckling any pet.
As follows is BarkBuckleUp’s top ten list and you’ll notice that not only are there the expected ruff and tuff SUVs but also some surprisingly affordable and compact choices as well. We assume that the FIAT 500 is for Chihuahua owners.
- Chevy Traverse LTZ
- Dodge Durango
- Fiat 500
- Infiniti FX35
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Kia Rio Hatchback
- Mazda 5
- Mercedes GLK SUV
- Nissan Murano LE
- Volvo XC70