…whether a crate or a harness. Just a small to medium sized plastic type works great and they're so cheap. We use budgie straps to secure ours whether in the back seat (strap it around the rear seat head rests or chid seat latches) or in the back of the SUV. For years we never did, but once we had a baby we started to. Last year I signed one of our Bs up for training. Our first class was without the dogs. We were told we MUST transport the dogs to/from class with a crate or harness. I suppose you could have shown up without one, but after hearing facts like "in just a 30mph crash, a 30lb "loose object" will become a projectile with 900lbs of force," everyone had a crate in their car. Like I said, we do crate ours. Our kids don't like to be in their car seats but we want them to be safe. Same is true for our critters.
I found this story from someone online:
_Posted*-04/03/2007
So Sunday afternoon my friend and I were on our way to Charlotte and we happened to watch a car accident. A car hit the cement divider head first then spun and hit tail first then started to spin into traffic. My friend pulled over and I ran back to the car to check on the driver. She was ok and when the other person who stopped opened the back door, there was a tiny dog, in a carrier freaking out. We were on a major highway and the dog was probably a minature pincher. The lady was, ironically enough, on her way home from bringing her BRAND NEW puppy to get its shots. We put the dog in my friends car to keep it safe, then moved it to the drivers friends car when she showed up.
When we got back into my friends car, we both realized how lucky that woman and her dog were. Both were alive and not hurt (although the woman was clearly in shock). Had that little dog not been in its carrier, it would have jumped out of the car as soon as the womans door opened and been killed by oncoming traffic.
We also realized that neither of us uses a carrier anymore because they are such a hassle. It was a very sobering moment.
_
How scary would it be to see your B running across the interstate (or worse)? I hate to think of it. These stories are usually hard to read, fortunately this one had a happy ending.