This article is a part of a larger Pet Pro Supply Co. series on Pet Safety. See the list of articles below:
Pet Pro Supply Co., MIM Construction AB, and 4x4 North America appreciate all efforts to raise awareness about traveling safely with pets. We are gravely concerned, however, about the dissemination of incomplete and inaccurate information about travel safety and crash dynamics, as it is counterproductive to traffic safety efforts. How one travels with pets can mean the difference between life and death for people and pets in an accident, so providing accurate information and sound recommendations is of paramount importance.
Automobile safety ratings incorporate testing for frontal impact, rear impact and rollover performance. This is because automobile safety agencies recognize the unique and significant risks posed to passengers in each of these crash scenarios. They also understand automobile safety features, such as cargo areas and crumple zones, and how they must respond to protect passengers during accidents.
MIM Construction AB has been working in automotive crash safety since 1986. Our MIM Variocage – an automobile dog crate – has been stringently tested in accordance with government automotive crash safety standards in front impact, rear impact and rollover. It has been strategically engineered with the safety of everyone in mind – both people and pets. It has a proven track record of safety for over a decade.
Testing dog crates solely for frontal impact, and not incorporating actual vehicle safety features or assessing the impact to human occupants, presents an extremely limited and false representation of real crashworthiness and safety. Proposing that vehicle cargo hooks and cargo straps alone can adequately protect passengers from heavy cargo, such as a dog crate, contradicts safety recommendations made by national automotive safety agencies and automobile manufacturers, putting families and their pets at increased risk of serious injury and loss of life.
We believe that there should be regulations for traveling with pets and standardized testing for assessing the safety of pet travel products. It is critical, however, that these regulations and standards incorporate all aspects of crash testing and work together with vehicle safety features. This is the ONLY way to help people travel safely with their pets.
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