Taking rabbit in car with no passengers

[SarahP]

This is such an interesting thread. :shock: Before now I've usually avoided the floor behind the back seats, for fear that extra vibrations will cause a lot more stress.

 

[keletkezes]

I'll always put them on the floor because it was darker! The Catit Cabrio doesn't fit though so I face them forwards behind me (makes getting them in and out easier) with the seatbelt through the top. Lopsy likes to see where he's going, while Aboleth doesn't care where she is because she hates being moved not under her own power, so she's usually shivering somewhere

 

[mini lop1]

Some info ....

https://bunnyapproved.com/road-trip-transporting-rabbits-in-a-car/



Front/Passenger Seat: Placing the carrier on the front seat in any way is dangerous for the pet, because the air bag will open when an accident occurs and destroy or severely dent the carrier while injuring the pet. In case of a full stop, the carrier might get thrown out of the window.

Floor of Front/Passenger Seat: While this option is better than the first one, because we are avoiding the airbag, many accidents involve rear-ending the car in front of us. In that case, the pet would likely get fatally injured.

Back Seat: The back seat seems like a good place to put the carrier, but the crash test showed that in case of an accident it would get thrown towards the front and could either injure the driver/passenger or go right through the window.

Back Seat with Safety Belt: Many carriers come with a little opening in the top that enables us to put a seat belt around it and safely secure it. This sounds like a great option and would prevent the carrier from getting thrown around. However, when the ADAC did the crash test, they found out that the force of the impact was too great for the carrier to uphold. It ended up getting completely destroyed and the animal dummy was thrown out anyway.


Based on the ADAC’s findings, a carrier made from hard plastic placed behind the passenger seat on the floor is the safest way to transport a pet in the car. The carrier should not be larger than necessary and the longer side of the carrier should be placed perpendicular to the driving direction, so that the pet only gets thrown a very short distance before the walls of the carrier get reached. If the carrier is too big to fit, another option is to drive a car with an open compartment, such as an SUV or station wagon, and lean it against the back of the back seats, with the seat belts fastened to further stabilize the seats.

Yes this is where I had seen it

 

[MightyMax]

Yes this is where I had seen it

 

[mariposa]

So I pulled the passenger seat forward and put him in the footwell behind that. Thought of you and your wedding cake as I was driving, Glingle! He seemed quite secure and happy down there.

 

[MightyMax]

So I pulled the passenger seat forward and put him in the footwell behind that. Thought of you and your wedding cake as I was driving, Glingle! He seemed quite secure and happy down there.

Glad it worked out OK :thumb:

 

[MiniC]

My car is a bit small, so they tend to sit in the front passenger footwell with an old towel in the bottom of the carrier & something draped over the top.

We do sit them on the backseat if there's a passenger that can sit with them (not strapped in at all), but I'll think more carefully about that now.