This most recent incident brings back memories of a somewhat similar accident here in the Houston area. A local coach was killed when his dog jumped into the back of his pickup and stepped on his loaded shotgun. Being at a much shorter distance from the firearm, the man will killed by the blast.

Link

I keep the safety engaged unless I am pulling the trigger....

A chambered round when you aren't actually hunting is bad news 99% of the time.

TPWD Accident Reports have often pointed to areas in and around vehicles as being the most common place where shooting accidents occur. Far fewer accidents usually occur in the field.

Loaded firearms and vehicles are a dangerous mix no doubt. And this includes ATV's and UTV's. I remember an out-of-stare incident that occurred several years ago when a teenager was killed by another teenager who was riding back of an ATV. The kid riding on the ATV had his rifle laying across his lap. It accidentally discharged when the kids stopped to chat with the other teenager who was standing next to the ATV. Hunting camps can be places where supervision of kids on ATV's can be lacking when parents see off road use as a safe environment.

No doubt in and around vehicles is dangerous, but more accidents happen int he field. For example, between 2011 and 2015, swing on game and shooting another person happened 31 times. Vehicle-related incidents happened just 15 times.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_k0700_0141a.pdf

When my youngest was 8 he was the safety man in camp. He would read you the riot act if you had a chambered round in your vehicle, in camp or while climbing into your blind. There is no such thing as an accidental shooting, only disregard to following safety measures that should be common sense. We had an incident some years back with an adult hunter who new everything. No one was seriously injured but it could have been real bad. If you can't follow our safety rules and think you know better, then you will not be hunting with us.

About 20yrs ago I was hunting with a couple cousins of mine. I was picking one of em up and he opened truck door to get in unslung his gun and went to put it on rear window rack ...as he did he pointed the muzzle right at my head....I screamed...hey man watch the dayum gun and I ducked down as the 30-06 went off putting a hole through my truck roof right about where my head was before ducking down.
Lost most of my hearing out of right ear but more fortunate I didn't lose my life....
I haven't spoken 10 words to that idiot cousin since. Fast forward about 10yrs when he was on a lease near Menard I heard he left fire going in cabin fireplace and left.....cabin caught fire and burned to the ground taking about 20ac of pasture out also.

Why have a chambered deer rifle if you ain't hunting? It's so quick & easy to chamber a round, there is no need to have a round in the chamber, unless you are sitting in a stand actually hunting. Any other time, I have an empty chamber.

The safety selector on all my bolt actions have not moved from "fire" since the day I got them. An open bolt cannot shoot.

ARs get the bolt locked open, and the selector on safe. Occasionally the bolt slams shut while moving in the UTV, I don't want a slam fire. In the event of the open bolt and the safety failing, the muzzle is in the floorboard, so all I will get is a big scare and a hole in my floorboard.

There is no such thing as "too safe".