To keep pets as safe as possible when traveling in vehicles, they should not be allowed to sit in the front seat. This puts them at higher risk for getting thrown from the vehicle in a crash. Besides that, an accident will likely trigger an airbag deployment; these are not designed for animals, so they could get seriously injured. Also keep your cat or dog out of your lap, because of these reasons and the chance of the pet suddenly moving. It is easy to see how distracting that could be, and how it could lead to an accident.