8 Wednesday, June 24, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Unsecured pets can distract drivers With summer travel sea- son upon us, families are hit- ting the road 4 and that of course, means four-legged family members, too. To ensure safe travels for every- one, it9s important to take heed of a pet travel safety issue 4 pets and distracted driving. When we think of dis- tracted driving, the typical culprits that come to mind include texting, eating, applying makeup, chatting on the phone or even daydream- ing. We seldom consider that traveling with an unsecured pet is a dangerous distraction. TripsWithPets recently polled pet parents who often drive with their pets. The poll showed that a whopping 60 percent of pet parents partake in unsafe distracted driv- ing habits involving their pet. Additionally, 42 percent of respondents admitted to being distracted by their four- legged travel companions, yet 77 percent indicated that they do not secure their pet in their vehicle. According to the poll, drivers were pet- ting their dogs, putting them in their laps, and frequently checking their mirrors (or turning around) to check on them. Further, many drivers (25 percent) snapped pictures with their dogs while driving. It9s pretty easy to under- stand how an unsecured pet can be a distraction while driving. Some pets may become anxious or excited causing them to jump around or bark while in the vehicle. Additionally, a happy and loving pet may just want to be near you and crawl on your lap while driving. Oftentimes, pets can be frightened and there is always an element of unpre- dictability with any animal. When looking for comfort, dogs and cats may naturally opt to be near you and add to the possible perils caused by these distractions. Properly securing your pet in your vehicle is not only about alleviating this poten- tial driving distraction that could cause an accident. It is also a proactive approach should there be an accident or sudden stop 4 even a fender bender can injure an unse- cured pet. We wear seat belts for our safety in case of an accident and should take the same care to secure our pets. A pet that is not restrained properly in a vehicle can be seriously harmed or even killed if thrown from a vehi- cle. Airbags can go off and injure a pet in your lap. In the event of an accident, fright- ened pets can easily escape from a vehicle and run off. Further, a pet that is not prop- erly secured may not only be harmed but could also put others in danger through the force of any impact from an accident. Ensuring your pet is safe while traveling in your vehi- cle means finding the pet safety restraint that is right for him. Options include pet seat belts, pet car seats, travel crates, and vehicle pet bar- riers. Planning to have the right pet safety restraint for your trip will not only keep you and your pet safe, but also offer you peace of mind and take one more distraction away. ISTOCK.COM/HUMONIA Safely securing your pet in the car helps to keep them safe. Cultural organizations hit hard by shutdown The majority of Oregon9s cultural organizations are facing suspension of opera- tions or permanent closure due to the COVID-19 impact, reveals an Oregon Cultural Trust survey released last week. The most comprehensive survey of Oregon9s cultural community since the crisis began, the survey includes data and comments from 330 cultural nonprofits represent- ing 83 percent of Oregon counties. Participants project a collective loss of $40 mil- lion and average losses of $121,281 through June 30. The majority of respondents (54 percent) have annual rev- enues of less than $250,000 and operate outside of the Portland Metro area. More than half (51 per- cent) of respondents have not applied for the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), likely due to the fact that 44 percent employ less than one full-time staff mem- ber 4 relying mostly on a volunteer workforce. Of the 49 percent that did apply for PPP, only 73 percent have received funds to-date. More than 90 percent of those that did receive PPP funds report the funding is