In this article we look at how to safely transport dogs in the car. Most four-legged friends are unenthusiastic when they're strapped into a car or placed in a carrier, but it's extremely important to consider the appropriate safety considerations when traveling with your dog in the car. Of course, this also applies analogously to every animal in the car. We explain what the law provides for transporting dogs in the car and which transport box is suitable for a dog in the car.
Contents
Transporting dogs in the car: What is permitted?
Even if the German legislator does not provide for a general obligation to seat belts in the case of dogs, animals in the car are treated like cargo. This means that §23the StVO applies. This paragraph deals with general load securing in vehicles. It must always be ensured that there are no impairments to vehicle traffic safety. In addition, all occupants must also be protected from injuries caused by the load. If you transport your dog in the car without a box, it must be strapped in or otherwise secured at least once.
For this purpose, different manufacturers offer corresponding dog harnesses to buckle up. These are either attached to the corresponding vehicle seat belts or even via ISOFIX eyelets. If you choose this type of attachment, you should only know that it primarily protects the other vehicle occupants and ensures road safety. On the other hand, an accident often results in serious injuries to the animal that you are transporting in the car. In any case, remember that the harnesses should be as short as possible to work properly.
How should you carry a dog in a car?
We recommend the use of a suitable transport box as the best and safest solution. Depending on the size of your dog, you can place these either in the footwell behind the passenger seat or in the trunk. The latter is particularly suitable whenever the transport boxes exceed a certain size. In order to protect your animal optimally, the transport box should not be too big and should always be securely fastened. It is best placed at right angles to the direction of travel and in such a way that it cannot slip forward when braking. In this way, you ensure optimal force distribution in the event of an accident, so that the risk of injury is reduced. If you want to transport two dogs in the car, we recommend using two separate transport boxes to avoid the risk of accidents for the animals in the car. Transport boxes also have the great advantage that the driver is less distracted than when transporting a dog on the back seat.
However, we should mention that some dogs need some time to get used to being in the carrier, especially if they have always just been in the car before. But once the initial difficulties have been overcome, the animals usually feel comfortable in the car because the transport boxes offer the cozy feeling of a cave.
An alternative can also be a corresponding partition or a net between the luggage compartment and the seats, but this should only be considered in connection with a seat belt harness. Otherwise, the risk of injury in the event of an accident or even an emergency stop for the animal in the car is very high.
What does the car insurance say about transporting a dog in the car ?
In general, there are no special insurance regulations that prohibit the transport of a dog in the car. In most cases, no contractual conditions are set on this topic. Nevertheless, the relevant laws and regulations apply, of course, so that a lack of load securing could be considered grossly negligent. This would apply, for example, if your dog flies against or through your windscreen due to a lack of security. However, if you have dog liability insurance, this usually also covers gross negligence. It is therefore advisable for most dog owners to take out such insurance.
Conclusion
Transporting a dog in the car places different demands on you as the driver, on the vehicle, but also on securing your four-legged friend. You can certainly transport a dog best in a suitable transport box in the car. The individual manufacturers even offer boxes that can be permanently installed in the car, which means that the box does not have to be secured every time. On the other hand, you lose a smaller to larger part of your loading area permanently in this way. For this reason, the best vehicles for dog owners are those models that have a sufficiently large trunk. Depending on the size of the dog, this speaks in particular for station wagons and/or high roof station wagons.
A tip from CarTipsandmore: For all journeys with a dog in the car, you should take significantly more breaks than is generally the case. This is especially true if you are transporting a small dog in the car or if summer temperatures prevail. So you always have to remember that you as a human can drink at any time while driving – your four-legged friend, however, not. Stretching the legs also plays a bigger role for an animal in the car. To prevent overheating, many people also unnecessarily open all the windows in the car. Again, this is not recommended as it is so easy for your dog to catch a puff and get sick. Finally, we reiterate that you should not leave children or dogs alone in the car; especially when it's getting warmer outside or the car is standing in direct sunlight (it can heat up quickly and intensely even in winter). The same applies when winter temperatures prevail, because then your vehicle cools down quickly as soon as you switch off the engine.
