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Written by Claire Davies
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 Driving out here is a real test of anyone's mettle. Although generally the pace is much slower, people are more apt to crazy out-of-the-blue manoeuvres. Sometimes you can be driving along and suddenly everyone else will change lanes for no readily apparent reason at the exact same instant. It leaves you feeling paranoid at the least. The scary part is that cars are allowed to pass on either side here. I read somewhere that this is because the roads are laid out in such a way that entrances and exits to highways can be on either side of the carriageway. I don't know about that but it can freak you out if you're not used to it. Similarly the fact that you can turn right at a red light can also be a bit of a worrying encounter (particularly if you happen to be a pedestrian).
Whether it is as a result of the unusual traffic laws, I don't know, but this place is accident central. Actually the fault officially lies with the large numbers of tourists and newcomers to the city who apparently either don't care to, or don't know how to, drive safely. Consequently insurance premiums are sky high.
The available statistics make you consider your personal safety options with regard to transport. Firstly, you cannot do without a car. If you recall me mentioning before about the heat, well I'm not walking more than about 100 yards at this time of year. Forget it. Everyone else does, and when in Rome I need my air conditioning. So my first thought were for some kind of tank or armoured personnel type machine. Then I settled on what the locals call an SUV, or sports utility vehicle. In other words your standard four wheel drive Land Rover type thing. I'd had one in England for towing horseboxes. I prefer to sit up higher to get a better view of what's happening up ahead (usually a red light or stop sign), and better all round visibility. It also means you are more visible to others and just gives you a feeling of increased security and robustness. I did have a ¾ ton pickup for a while for the same reasons. However, I sold this when I considered the safety implications for transporting Alfie the bouncing beardie bomb.
How often do we travel with our dogs, and how much thought do we give to their safety in the event of an accident? Most often I would suggest it's only after something awful has already happened. However well behaved your dog is the front seat of a car is no place for him to travel, especially with no kind of restraint. It's amazing how many people seem to be reluctant to restrain their dogs in the car. Some people consider that in the event of a serious collision their pet has a better chance if they are able to escape. Also people worry that a dog in a crate, for instance, might not be able to be freed quickly if the car were to end up in water or catch fire. Others have heard horror stories about crates being ejected from cars and dogs being killed by the force of impact with the wall of the crate, or off injuries sustained by the action of seat belt restraints. It is worth considering the result of travelling with an unrestrained dog. Aside from the obvious danger of dogs distracting drivers, or interfering with controls and so on, an unrestrained dog can be thrown from the car in the event of an accident. It's possible that the dog could survive a car wreck only to run out onto the highway and get hit by another car.
If you are going to use restraints it's worth examining the type and quality of the restraint itself. There are crates that are unsuitable because they collapse all too easily. Cheaper dog guards can easily become dislodged and in some cases collapse completely panicking the dog. Some seatbelt type restraints have plastic fastenings that can shatter under the force of a dog 's weight in an impact.
Also bear in mind that dogs in wire crates ought not to be wearing any kind of collar as they can all too easily get caught up. There have been instances of dogs being strangled to death. However, whenever a dog is away from home it's always advisable to have as much identification on the dog as possible, and you must also acknowledge any legal requirement to do so.
You don't have to live in as accident ridden a place as I do, and you don't have to transport your dog all that often to give the matter some thought. We each have to make our own choices as to the way we will transport our dogs in our cars, I am certainly not going to give up our trips to the dog park, but I want to make sure that whatever happens I have given me and my fuzzy friend the best chance to get there in one piece this time and in the future. Short of getting that tank, that is.
Factual information from article in Petlife magazine, May/June 2000
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