Volvo Car USA encourages drivers to buckle up every member of the family – including four-legged ones – for Dogust
This August, Volvo Car USA is reminding pet owners that the safest road trips start with every occupant properly secured – including their dogs. As part of Dogust, the annual celebration recognizing August 1 as the birthday for rescue and shelter dogs, Volvo Car USA partnered with YouGov to survey U.S. dog owners about their driving habits with their furry co-pilots.
According to the survey results, 93% of dog owners confirmed their dogs ride in their vehicles, but of those, 61% do not use safety restraints when their dog is riding in the car. In addition, 73% of dog owners whose dogs ride in their vehicles admitted to getting distracted by their dog while driving.
For nearly a century, Volvo Cars has been committed to helping protect and care for everyone in and around their Volvo car, and these results reinforce the importance of making pet safety part of every trip.
For many dog owners, driving without securing a pet can be easy to overlook. A dog sitting on a driver’s lap or moving freely across the front and back seat can create distractions that take attention away from the road, increasing the potential for an accident. Proper restraint helps limit those distractions and supports a safer ride for all vehicle occupants.
“As a veterinarian, I’ve seen how quickly a routine car ride can become a stressful situation when a pet isn’t properly restrained,” says Dr. Nicole Fein, veterinarian and board-certified small animal internal medicine specialist. “In the event of an accident, dogs may experience injuries that aren’t always immediately visible, and frightened pets can become disoriented and run off, creating added worry for families. Using a proper restraint is one of the simplest and most effective ways owners can help keep their dogs safe and secure on the road.”
Restraining your dog during every car trip, regardless of distance, is a simple way to reduce distractions and improve overall dog-car safety. It also supports the safety of everyone in the vehicle by helping keep pets secure while the car is in motion.
As part of its commitment to helping families travel more safely, Volvo Car USA offers dog accessories designed to support safer travel in Volvo vehicles, including a dog cage, dog gate, and dog harness. Together with safe driving habits, these accessories can help make every journey more comfortable and secure—for every passenger. To learn more about these accessories, visit volvocars.com/us/l/volvo-accessories/.
Methodology
Survey figures from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2477 adults (including 1,068 dog owners) interviewed online July 8-10, 2026. Figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).
