a dog seatbelt saved the life of one of my dog. he was riding in the frontseat when an idiot ran a red light. when I slammed on my brakes, the dog flew forward and the seatbelt pulled him back before he could hit the dashboard. it made him unhappy and a little scared but he was unhurt.

I have two medium dogs and I have dog booster carseats for them. They work like children's carseats, the car's seatbelt goes through it and the dog is the strapped into the seat using two harnesses. They provide just enough room for the dog to lay down or sit up but not stand. I tried a harness and one of my dogs' got his leg caught up and twisted In the harness while moving around. I haven't trusted the harnesses since.

A classic case of a solution in search of a problem.

I had a harness restraint for my pomeranian and it worked perfectly (& we lived in NJ for a LONG time). Of course, I never actually had an accident, but there were several "rapid breaking" incidents. She was perfectly behaved, so I didn't have to worry about her distracting me. I have large dogs now, and I've used harness restraints for them, or the camper on the back on one pickup, or a goat tote in the back to ferry them to and from the vet or other trips. As for the carriers/crates................how many out there have a large dog that would require a really large crate that won't fit in their economy car? And, I've found that pets riding inside the vehicle in a crate are much more distracting because they're CAGED and unhappy. If they are able to see out the window and what's going on (& aren't a hyper barker at passing pedestrians and vehicles), they are usually much calmer travelers, making for a much safer trip. Now, if it's only a VERY short distance to the vet or groomer, and the crate/carrier fits well, then go for it, but remember this. You MUST insure that the crate/carrier is safely "tied in" so that it won't be flying anywhere in the case of an accident or sudden stop. Additionally, your pet will not be restrained safely inside the crate/carrier, so it WILL fly uncontrollably inside the crate/carrier. See.....no simple, easy solution. Common sense, knowing your pet, and figuring out what's best for you, including being a safe driver and smart pet owner are the road to travel.

Why no mention of crating? Depending on the crate you purchase, it's definitely better than a harness restraint. Plus, the dog shouldn't distract you.