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Study Shows Dogs Lead to Distracted Driving

A dog is a man’s best friend! That’s the saying goes, and we tend to to agree when it comes to canine companions around the house: they are loyal, loving and are especially entertaining when you have something to tease them with. But it’s a totally different story when you put a dog and a car together.

No, we are not talking about some sort of dogmobile from Dumb & Dumber, but a study from Consumer Reports that says our four-legged companions are a real hazard. According to them, the AAA and Kurgo found that dogs lead to distracted driving, as 52 percent of owners pet them while at the wheel. Still, it might help so have something cute and cuddly when struck by road rage.

In addition, 19 percent of drivers use their hand to stop the dog from jumping onto the front passenger seat... or worse. If you do that, we’d like to remind you there are dog seatbelts out there. What’ even worse is that 18 percent reach into the back seat to pet their dog.

Furthermore, 83 percent of the 1,000 dog-drivers polled feel that leaving a pet unrestrained is dangerous, but only 16 percent actually do something about their beloved animal.

"An unrestrained 10-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert roughly 300 pounds of pressure, while an unrestrained 80-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert approximately 2,400 pounds of pressure. Imagine the devastation that can cause to your pet and anyone in its path," said AAA National, Traffic Safety Programs Manager Jennifer Huebner-Davidson.
"Basically, a big dog will do more damage than the car that struck in the accident."
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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