AAA recommends buckling up your dog

    As much as passersby love to see your dog slobbering out the car window, AAA suggests your furry friend needs to buckle up, just like you.

    A recent study found not many drivers are restraining their dogs on the road, despite an un-buckled up being at risk and causing potential danger. Only 16 percent said they use a pet restraint regularly.

    The Times Herald spoke with a Blue Bell vet who cited cases of broken bones in unrestrained pups. And how’s this for a sobering fact: Jim Lardear, director of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic says, “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.”

    Remember that next time you’re steering with one hand and blocking the dog from climbing over the console with the other.

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