Car Safety

[RitaS]

I will be driving cross country with my amazon in a month. Is it safe to have him in his carrier in the front seat? I am not able to turn off the air bag. Currently trying to figure out how the get the seat belt around his carrier. I feel safer when his in the front where I can easily observe him. Also he hates my dog and I'm afraid it will stress him out to be next to the dog in the back seat for several days. My vet tech said I should try to put something in front of his carrier to try to lessen the blow if the air bag was deployed. I'm still very concerned. Thanks!

 

[RitaS]

Also...I'm a smoker. I NEVER smoke around Norman but I was curious about e-cigs. If I exhaled out the window in the car, would it be safe enough? There doesn't seem to be enough research on them. So if its even a question I won't! Just figured I'd ask.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I think it is safe to a extent as long as the carrier is durable and won't break under the force of a air bag. Birds are very resilient, but no one can survive being crushed. Maybe if you put a baggage belt or something around the travel cage you can slide the seat belt through it for added security? That way the seat belt won't slide to the top of the cage or underneath and no longer offer protection.

I would suggest not using e-cigs anywhere near near birds, I searched how safe they are and found these

Source

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples has found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze." [/FONT]

as well as

source

While the e-cigarette produced lower levels of toxins in the air for nonsmokers to breathe than the conventional cigarette, there were still elevated levels of acetic acid, acetone, isoprene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, averaging around 20% of what the conventional cigarette put into the air.

 

[RitaS]

Thanks for showing me that data on e-cigs!
His travel cage is a Sterilite plastic storage. My vet suggested it. It's hard plastic. I modified it with a couple of perches, toys, bowls, lots of air vents. I would think it would up but I've never had an air bag go off. I also just looked and there are air bags on doors too. Thinking about contact the car manufacturer and see what they think. I'm sure they will no doubt think I'm crazy!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Rita, maybe you can put some bubble wrap around the sides of the carrier that 'would' be exposed to an air bag going off??

Just an idea.

 

[weco]

Rita, the air bags are designed to protect human bodies, not cages, so trying to strategize a protection for the cage, could create a problem for the driver.....that having been said, I have made a number of long trips with some or all of my birds, in both a mini van and a crew-cab pickup.....

In the van, both cages were in the second seat, but I raised them up, so the birds could see all going on around us, and while the cages were strapped in, I used a cargo strap across the top of each & hooked it to the seat frame on the seat bottom, because the normal seat belts would not hold the cages properly.....

The only thing that might be the fly in your ointment is the sun coming in the windshield, unless you devise some type of sun screen......

Don't know where you're at in AL or where you're headed, but I-40 would be a better trip than further south, if you're headed to the coast.....

Have a nice trip.....

 

[RitaS]

Thank you all for your suggestions! Frankly I don't want either of the pets in the front seat. It scares the hell out of me. I saw a small dog gets its neck broken by an air bag years ago! Starting to think I should just put up a curtain or something to block Norman from seeing the dog in the back seat. Norman has driven cross country with me over 5 times. He's getting older & hates the dog so I was trying to figure out an alternative. But I would rather them both be safe. Thanks again!

 

[Merlee]

I don't think anything will protect your bird from the air bag. My daughter had an accident while driving and the air bag went off. The airbag pushed my daughter's left wrist against the window and fractured it. The same thing happened with a friend so my advice is to take a chance and put the bird's cage in the back with the dog. Maybe with the closeness, the two animals will learn some tolerance.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I do put my bird in the carrier in the back, but that is partly because my dogs are in their carrier in the front seat (my air bag can be turned off for the passenger seat). I would worry about an air bag. My sister also had an air bag go off when she was a passenger in a car and it literally tore the webbing between each of her fingers and they had to be stitched. (they were hit head on by a drunk driver and she held her hands in front of her face right before impact, that's why all the fingers tore).

However all that being said, the chances of you being hit and having the air bag even go off are slim, so if you have no other choice but to put the bird up front, just drive carefully and he should be fine.

 

[RitaS]

I agree with all of you. Too many unknowns & safety concerns. I can't be nervous the entire drive there and back. Not good for any of us! Norman is going to have to chill in the back with his brother Bob (the Puggle). Maybe this will help. I will put a curtain up for part of the trip, just to minimize the stress. I still don't understand why Norman hates Bob so much! The lil guy is terrified of Norman. I don't blame him either. Bob can't go within two feet of Norman's cage without getting hit with something. Norman's has good aim! It's not my first dog either. Norman has lived with up to five large dogs at once, cats, ferret, & iguana, just to name a few.

 

[henpecked]

Norman acts the way he does because he's jealous of the attention the dog is capable of receiving. He's able to see how fond of the dog you are. The dog is a rival for your attention and your Norman's mate. My long time hen nape, Jake , has trained me and my 4 dogs very well. They'll probably do quite well in the backseat by themselves, so long as your not in between them.

 

[RitaS]

Oh boy Norman has me trained pretty well also. About ten years ago a friend gave me the book The Parrot Who Owns Me, great book! I kinda figured he was jealous of the dog. But he never got like this with the other pets. He actually liked my old girl, he slid down his cage and fed her. When she passed he seriously mourned her. And yet another reason to be mad at me. Just figured with the bonding with my boyfriend that he would let up on the dog, but he's gotten worse. The other night I put food in the dog bowl and Norman dive bombed across the room in front of his bowl and wouldn't let the dog near it. He even took a piece of dog food and taunted the dog. Bob just runs away from him and Norman tries chase him to bite him and of course his menacing laugh. Maybe a couple of days next to each other in car will help? Not sure what else to do. I barely give Bob any attention in front of Norman. This has been going on for almost 7 years!

 

[Greenwing]

On most of the newer cars..the passenger-side airbag will not deploy under a set weight.. I believe it's over 100-108lbs...Also most are tied into the seatbelt warning system.. So if you put he carrier on the seat and it doesn't trip the (weight sensor ) seatbelt warning it should not deploy..

 

[RitaS]

Thanks but I've decided to put him in the back with the dog. Sounds like it my be a good learning experience. I'll just stop more often.