The topic of distracted driving has been a popular one locally, with the Ann Arbor City Council considering a ban on using cell phones while driving, and the Michigan legislature adopting a statewide ban on text messaging while driving.

Next on the list of driver distractions may be pets. From an article in the New York Times on Wednesday:

Exact statistics on pet distraction are difficult to come by — most surveys list unrestrained cats and dogs inside the car as one of many “internal distractions” along with grabbing loose items on the seat or swatting an insect. But nearly 90 percent of pet owners say they travel with their pets. And one survey from Nationwide Mutual Insurance found that 8 percent of drivers admit to driving with a pet on their lap.

This article on ConsumerAffairs.com lists the main reasons pets should be restrained in vehicles:

"Why should pet owners buckle up their animals in a car or truck?" Selter asked during a recent interview. "Number one, because it protects your pet, yourself, and your passengers. If you have an accident, your pet can become a projectile. Even in an accident where you're going 30 mph, a 60-pound dog can cause an impact of something like 1,200 pounds.

"The second reason you should buckle up your pets is because if you get in an accident and the police come to help you, your dog could get out of the vehicle and run into traffic. Your dog might get hurt, cause another accident, or run away. Your dog might also bite the emergency responder."

We often travel with our 80-pound golden retriever in the cargo area of our Subaru, and I've occasionally wondered if we should get one of those gates to keep him from flying in case of a crash.

But with that kind of force, I wonder if even a gate would keep him secured. This product entry for the "Euro Barrie-Aire" on Doctors Foster and Smith suggests maybe not:

Q. How sturdy are they and will they hold up if in a car accident? A. The amount of force the Euro Barrie-Aire can withstand in a car accident depends on the weight of the dog and how hard he falls into the barrier, and the impact from the accident. It is almost always in the best interest of both you and your pet to have your pet restrained while in a vehicle.

So something like the "Champion Canine Seat Belt System" might be the way to go, as it looks like it can be used in the cargo area as well as the back seat.

Jen Eyer is on the Community Team at AnnArbor.com. She leads the Parenting and Pets sections, and writes feature stories, blog posts and opinion pieces. She can be reached at 734-623-2577 or jeneyer@annarbor.com.