Well, the smoke is beginning to clear a little.  The unofficial consensus
is definitely for pet carriers.  Make that belted in pet carriers.
 
To make the ride a little easier on them, you can hang a hammock from the
carrier's vent openings.  The hammock absorbs the bumps and the jolts from
sudden starts & stops.
 
While you're paying so much attention the obvious safety aspects, be sure
you look around your vehicle for the less obvious ones.  They are often the
most deadly.  You'll notice that all vehicles come from the factory with
spare tires and jacks firmly secured... it's to prevent lawsuits, not
because they're tidy-minded.
 
I drive an 18-wheeler from time to time as a part of my job.  One of the
"carry-overs" from that to my club cab pickup is strapping down everything
that's big enough to cause injury in a roll-over.  Toolboxes can be lethal
because they're so heavy.  Groceries & boxed purchases usually go in the
covered bed, but cargo nets can be used to restrain large temporary objects
just about anywhere in a vehicle.  In a serious crash, a toolbox could
crush a pet taxi.  Or your head.  Belting in the carrier or yourself won't
save anything from 5 or 10 pounds of metal flying at 30+ miles an hour.
 
So I guess that's two disasters averted.... One bullet dodged.
 
Debi Christy
Ferrets First Foster Home
[Posted in FML issue 3040]