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A third of dog owners say that they regularly drive without restraining their pet in the car. That, says Ford, is putting the lives of the car's occupants, and those of other road users, severely at risk.
According to Ford's research, 32 per cent of dog-owning drivers admit to not securing their pets safely in the car. Of those owners, 32 per cent said it was because the animals did not like it, 31 per cent claimed there was no need when undertaking short journeys, and 14 per cent said they did not have room for a dog crate.
More than 1 in 4 of those who carried their dog unsecured admitted that their pet had poked its head out of the window (26 per cent). Some said pets had previously jumped out of the window resulting, on occasion, in the pet being killed or injured. Owners also admitted being involved in accidents after being distracted by their pets, that dogs had turned on indicators, obscured the view ahead and bitten occupants.
Insurance claims can be invalidated if pets are not safely restrained in the vehicle and it has been estimated that if a car crashes at a speed of 40km/h (25mph), an unrestrained dog can develop projection forces that are 40 times its weight.
Driving with an unrestrained pet is an offence in many countries, although it's not currently listed as a penalty points offence in Ireland. That said, there is a catch-all which says that you'll get three points for "failure by driver to comply with rear seat belt requirements for passengers under 17 years." It does say passengers, not humans, after all...
Either way, Ford has been working hard on the new Focus Estate to try and make the loadspace of the car as dog-friendly as possible. Ford engineer Rene Berns, who worked on the Focus, is a dog-lover and used his Australian Shepherd dog Emil for inspiration when designing a car that enabled dogs to travel more safely.
The biggest (literally) challenge was to make the boot big enough to take the largest dog crate available, meaning that dogs as large as an Irish Wolfhound could be carried safely. Making sure that such a crate would fit was down to small, detail items like raising the rear rooflining a little, and tucking away the hinges for the tailgate. "I know how much it means to me to be able to take Emil with me wherever I am going, and I'm proud that he has helped make that easier for other dog owners and their pets to travel safely and in comfort," said Berns.
"If you have a pet, please think of its safety in the same way you would about any other member of the family," said dog training expert, Graeme Hall, aka "The Dogfather". "I always carry my dog Lily in the boot in her crate. She can comfortably move around and everyone's safe. I believe that's the best solution."