Preprint Article Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

Dog Associated Road Safety Concerns: A pre-COVID Survey of New Zealand Pet Owners

Leena Awawdeh
* and
Rachel H Forrest
*
Version 1 : Received: 7 September 2024 / Approved: 12 September 2024 / Online: 13 September 2024 (10:42:12 CEST)

How to cite: Awawdeh, L.; Forrest, R. H. Dog Associated Road Safety Concerns: A pre-COVID Survey of New Zealand Pet Owners. Preprints 2024, 2024091040. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1040.v1 Awawdeh, L.; Forrest, R. H. Dog Associated Road Safety Concerns: A pre-COVID Survey of New Zealand Pet Owners. Preprints 2024, 2024091040. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1040.v1

Abstract

Aims: To investigate the road safety concerns associated with pet dogs in New Zealand. Methods: An online survey was developed and offered to New Zealanders via SurveyMonkey© from 8 January 2019 to 31 March 2019) using New Zealand residents aged ≥18 years. Questions about the demographics of respondents and their number of pet dogs along with those about dog transportation and dog roaming were asked. Results: Of 2744 respondents who completed the online survey, 1494 (65%) owned a dog. Of these, 1511 completed the question about how their dog or dogs travel in vehicles. Of these, 2 % (n = 29) let their dog sit on the driver's knee, and 12 % (n = 179) allowed their dog to sit on the passenger's knee. Only 7 % (n = 105) allowed the dog to roam free throughout the vehicle, while 44% (n = 663) allowed their dogs to roam free in the backseat area only and 19% (n = 280) put their dog in the boot/hatchback area. A minority of respondents (2%, n = 22) indicated they let their dog travel unrestrained on the deck of a ute or truck. Approximately half, 51% (n = 767) of the respondents, indicated that they restrained or crated their dogs in or on the vehicle. Respondents also expressed concerns about roaming dogs being a road safety hazard with the themes of responsible ownership, physical and psychological harm, and the dangers of rescue altruism emerging. Conclusions: Increased awareness about proper pet restraints during transportation and preventing dogs from roaming, especially near and on roads, is crucial to ensure traffic safety for humans and dogs.

Keywords

Aotearoa; New Zealand; attitudes; car; companion animal; safety; dog–owner relationship; regulation; restraining.

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Other

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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