South Africa is a pet-friendly, dog owning nation and it’s a common site to see a couple of canine’s riding passenger. But how much attention do we pay to the safety of our pets while in transit? Subaru, a brand that has carefully nurtured a pet-friendly image, is investing in research to increase the safety of dogs in cars.

While human safety in vehicles is under intense testing and scrutiny by regulators, there is zero regulation, government or otherwise, pertaining to the safety of pets.

There are a few products on the market that aim secure your pet to an anchor point in the car, usually the seatbelt, but initial testing has found that these often break under the force of a crash. And, in the case of a forward collision, the dog can become a missile, becoming a risk to the human passengers.

Normally, crash test videos are seen featuring human dummies, but Subaru has paid a testing facility in Virginia, USA, to put canine dummies through the same sort of crash scenarios. We assure you, that isn’t a real pooch sitting there, terrified.

Subaru admits that they can’t solve the problem, but they want to raise awareness of the issue. In the long run, Subaru is calling for better standards of pet products, not just cars. But car makers can come to the party with better and more varied range of anchor points for pet leashes and crates.

Let us know in the comments below how you would normally transport your pets. Back of the bakkie? Back seat? On your lap?