Now more than ever pets are an integral part of the family. They can be found in the family portraits hanging on the wall; they are often times the ring bearer at weddings; and almost always accompany their "parents" on family vacations. It's amazing that people include their pets in so many activities, yet forget about or neglect their safety while traveling by not restraining them with a pet harness or pet safety belt. By not restraining pets while traveling not only are the pets at risk; but also the driver and passengers in the vehicle as unrestrained pets often become a flying projectile in the case of the wreck. According to Bark Buckle Up in a 30 mph car accident a 60 pound dog can cause an impact of 2,700 pounds! Unrestrained dogs can also distract the driver causing an accident; impede rescue efforts after an accident; escape after an accident and get hit or cause another accident.

Bark Buckle Up through research has concluded that 98% of pets do not travel properly restrained. Bark Buckle Up is a national pet safety awareness program that, in conjunction with the police and fire chiefs, tries to raise awareness of the importance of buckling your pets up; not only for their safety, but also you safety, your passengers' safety, and the safety of first responders. A similar movement is the Paws to Click movement. The Paws to Click movement is a joint effort by the ASPCA and Bergan LLC to promote safe pet travel. According to Paws to Click a car accident occurs every 18 minutes due to an unrestrained pet in the vehicle, resulting in more than 30,000 car accidents per year.

There are currently no laws or restrictions concerning restraining your pets while in transit. To solve this problem Bergan LLC, along with independent laboratories, has taken the first steps in establishing the Pet Safety Durability Test Standard V9DT B2009.1. The purpose of the V9DT is to set the industry standards for pet harnesses for the use in automobiles. As there were no industry standards prior to the V9DT standard it is important to make sure and check for the "complies with the V9DT" logo on the packaging of any harness you're considering in order to ensure the safety of your furry little family member, as well as your safety, you passengers' safety, and the safety of other drivers on the road.

You would never dream of taking your child somewhere without buckling them up, right? Why should your pet be any different?