Garage Door Safety for Kids and Pets: A Family Guide

To a kid, a garage door that goes up and down at the push of a button is fun. To a dog, it's the way to the outside world. To a cat, the garage is one more room to explore. That's why homes with kids and pets need a few extra habits around the biggest moving thing in the house.

None of this takes much time. It's mostly setup, a couple of conversations and a five minute test each month.

Where the real risks are

• Under a closing door. A door coming down is heavy. The safety sensors and auto-reverse are designed to stop it, but they only help if they work.
• The joints between panels. As the door rolls over the curve of the track, the gaps between panels open and close. Small fingers can get pinched there.
• Springs and cables. They hold a lot of tension. They're not a place to climb, hang things or play.
• The manual release. Pulling the red cord with the door open can let the door drop fast if a spring is weak or broken.
• Remotes and buttons. A door that opens when nobody expects it can let a pet out or let a small child wander toward the driveway.

Set up the garage the safe way

• Mount the wall button high. Put it where small children can't reach it and where you can see the door while you press it. Your opener manual gives a minimum height.
• Keep remotes out of reach. Not in toy bins or on low hooks. In the car, use a visor clip rather than a cup holder a child in the back seat can grab.
• Use lock mode. Many wall controls have a lock or vacation mode that turns off the remotes. It's handy during play dates or when kids are home with a sitter.
• Keep the door path clear. Bikes, scooters and toys left near the tracks draw kids to the doorway.
• Keep the area around the sensors clear. Toys and pet beds near the sensors get bumped into them and knock them out of line.

What to teach kids

Keep it simple and repeat it.

• The door is not a toy. Only grown-ups push the button or use the remote.
• Never run under a moving door. No racing the door, ever. If it's moving, wait until it stops.
• Hands off while it moves. Don't touch the panels, tracks or rollers while the door is going up or down.
• Springs and cables are off limits. Point them out once so kids know where they are.
• Tell a grown-up if the door makes a loud bang, looks crooked or stops working.

Older kids who use the garage on their own can learn to check that the doorway is clear before pressing the button, and to watch the door until it's fully closed.

Pets need their own rules

• Leash or hold pets while the door moves. A dog that sees the door going up may bolt for the driveway.
• Look before you close. Cats and small dogs like to slip into the garage unnoticed. Check before you close the door, and again before you leave.
• Don't tie a pet near the door. A leash tied to anything near the tracks or the door's path can get caught.
• Watch for very small animals. The photo eyes sit a few inches above the floor. A small animal lying flat can be harder for the beam to see, which is why the auto-reverse matters too.
• Remote close and pets. If you close the door from a phone app, you can't see the doorway. Make sure pets are inside first.

Test the safety features every month

Two quick tests tell you whether the door will stop for someone in its path. Pass a broom handle through the sensor beam while the door is closing, and it should stop and reverse. Lay a 2x4 flat under the door and close it, and it should reverse when it touches the board. Never test with a person, a child or a pet. Our step by step guide to testing the sensors and auto-reverse covers what to do if either test fails.

If either test fails, don't count on the opener to stop for anything until it's fixed. Have a professional check it rather than adjusting the opener's settings yourself.

The manual release is for adults

Kids shouldn't pull the red release cord. Adults should only pull it with the door fully closed, because a door with a weak or broken spring can drop quickly once it's off the opener. Here is how to use it safely in a power outage.

For the basics every household should know, see garage door safety every family should know. And if you hear a loud bang from the garage, keep everyone out and read our spring warning signs before anyone touches the door. A yearly safety inspection covers the sensors, springs, cables and balance, the parts that keep the door predictable.