It’s the cutest thing when you’re driving and you see a dog poke his head out of another car. Cute as it may be, it can also be dangerous if your car isn’t fitted with the appropriate dog guards to keep your dog from jumping, or accidentally falling out of a zooming car.

While many think it’s unfair to keep a dog in the back part of a car, it can save both the dog’s and the driver’s life. When the dog is restrained to the hatchback part of the care, it is not roaming around distracting you or other drivers. Small dogs can easily and suddenly jump onto the driver’s lap when they’re not restrained, and this creates a hazard on the road.

Dog guards are also effective at saving lives in the event of a collision. A loose dog in the back seat can be extremely mobile during a crash. The dog can fly forward and smash through the front window in a similar fashion as a person not wearing their seatbelt. It can also crash into the headrests of the passenger’s seat, potentially proving fatal for any passenger.

If you outfit your dog with a regular seatbelt when traveling, this can prevent them from flying forward, but can also cause internal damage to the dog. Talk to your car dealer or vet about options available to you and the type of dog you own for when you take your dog on car trips.