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Subaru funds Center For Pet Safety crash testing for dogs [w/video]

Crash-testing new vehicles to evaluate their ability to keep humans safe in accidents is nothing new, but thus far there has been little in the way of crash testing for dogs. Subaru, a company that portrays itself as pet friendly, hopes to raise awareness on the issue of pet safety by funding initial crash testing by the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety, Automotive News reports.
Real dogs were not used in the crash tests; three dummy dogs representing a 25-pound terrier, a 45-pound border collie and a 75-pound golden retriever were used. There are a variety of devices for sale that are supposed to restrain dogs from entering the front-seat area and distracting the driver - tethers, cages, nets and crates - but their effectiveness in a crash is unknown.
In Subaru's crash test, performed at a Virginia laboratory that tests child seats on a device that speeds down a track and stops abruptly, the results show that devices such as dog tethers are prone to break in a crash, sending the dog rocketing into whatever is in front of it. Rather alarmingly, the organization reports a 100-percent failure rate. In other words, "None of the harnesses were deemed safe enough to protect both the dog and the humans in the event of an accident." Yikes.

Gymkhana 11 will be hosted by Travis Pastrana

Amidst the chaos and tragedy that has proliferated in 2020, American action sports legend Travis Pastrana has had a year of growth. In March, Subaru announced his return as a full-time rally driver, and this week, he announced that he will be the first person to host Gymkhana other than Ken Block. Pastrana has been assigned Gymkhana 11, and he'll be using a tuned Subaru WRX STI as his trusty steed. Block, Pastrana, and both of their families have participated in a fun challenge recently. In early May, Block set the stage at the Hoonigan Racing Division shop in Park City, Utah, with a makeshift Gymkhana GRiD-style course (Gymkhana GRiD was scheduled to return in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic). He used a Can-Am Maverick X3, and his kids and wife filmed him ripping through the course. At the end of the video, he called on Pastrana to attempt a superior answer.   And Pastrana delivered. Using a hot dog suit, a Can-Am Maverick X3, a kids kart, a Subaru WRX STI, and a Harley-Davidson with a sidecar, the Pastranas executed their own course with dirt track jumps, wheelies, burnouts and two-wheel driving. The competition wouldn't be complete without judging, so that was left up to the viewers. In online voting, audiences preferred Pastrana's performance more than Block's video at a 288 votes to 140 votes, as of this writing.  It seems the challenge was a lead-up to this week's announcement posted to Pastrana's Instagram: Got some awesome news today! @kblock43 passed the torch to me for Gymkhana 11. I have some big shoes to fill but more than excited to give it a go. Kens guidelines for me are pretty simple. Keep the essence of Gymkhana with -epic vehicle -unattainable location -precision driving with close proximity to catastrophe. The @vermont.sportscar team has already started work on building the baddest #subaru of all time. Need to find a location that I can make this car fly and drive it like I stole it. #gameon #nopressure @subarumotorsportsusa are you guys ready for this!!! @yokohamatire I’m going to need a lot of tires ?? @hooniganracing @redbull @dirtfishrally Vermont SportsCar is the technical partner to Subaru of America and has been the hub for Subaru Motorsports USA since 2005, so there's no question Pastrana's WRX will be monumental. As part of the event, there is also a competition to win a chance to be at the filming of Gymkhana 11 and hang with Pastrana. All proceeds go to a good cause.

Toyota recalls another 2.9 million vehicles over Takata airbags

Subaru, Mitsubishi and Hino doing recalls, too.