There are 2 types that have been tested. Pet Buckle spent millions of dollars crash testing theirs and they are a bestseller but unfortunately are not available in enough sizes.

The other type of rigorous test that can be done by manufacturers is the strength test below and this is has been successfully achieved by Bergan whose car harnesses come in a full range of sizes to fit dogs from 10-80 llbs+.

meet V9DT B2009.1. Pet Safety Durability Test (see http://www.v9dt.com)

Unfortunately many people are also attaching universal dog seat belt straps to regular walking harnesses which are not designed to be used as a car safety harness and hence may give way if the worst happens.

I am of the opinion that manufacturers should have to state their car harnesses are untested if they are not, as the public in general would not necessarily be aware of test regulations.

Crates seem far more popular in the US, I remain neutral on them, as I would still worry about a dog getting thrown around in the crate.
Juliette recently posted..Best Fleece Anti-Pull Dog Harnesses

Of course people riding in the back of pick-up trucks and kids on school buses should also have safety harnesses, and maybe auto makers should be selling child booster seats too, but dogs aren’t given a choice. I couldn’t believe the opening lines of a story in the New Yorker recently comparing football injuries with those suffered by dogs in arranged dogfights. Okay, they both get lousy injuries, but to at least some greater degree than the dogs, the football players had some choice of profession.

That’s an interesting question about the statistic. I found the source — at least what I think is the source — second hand from a right wing site under what the blogger called “Stupid Statistics” (at least I’m assuming it’s a right wing site because all the blogger’s comments seem aimed at pointing out how misguided liberals are):
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One hundred thousand dogs are killed each year falling out of pickup trucks.

No, wait . . . this is my favorite stupid statistic, again from Parade. Think about it — that’s 274 dogs a day, 11 dogs a hour, falling out of trucks. Two thousand dogs a year per state. Have you ever seen or heard of a dog dying this way? Of course, the data was from the Humane Society, campaigning for the banning of pickup trucks, or something . . .

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So I’m thinking the original source was Parade magazine, quoting the Humane Society, but I can’t find any stats on the Humane Society’s site.

As it happens, I personally know two greyhounds that were injured because they were in the back of a pickup that got rear ended. It was a covered pickup, but the cover popped off with the collision and the greyhounds escaped into traffic and were hit. So hell yes, I believe it happens all the time.

here’s an idea, for all you Detroit sales teams reading this blog: I wonder if maybe a pick-up manufacturer would get on the bandwagon with an accessory harness or pick-up crate you could order when you buy the Chevy pick-up and are adding those retro hubcaps….certainly something different they can tout..

By the way, you write “approximately 100,000 dogs” are killed or injured each year – I’d like to re-quote that at some point in a blog – is there a primary source for this or is this a (valid) generalization?

My crates are securely strapped to the tie-downs cleats embedded in the sides and floor of the Patriot’s cargo deck. Two overlapping bungees cross the top of the crates. This secures the crates both to the vehicle and to each other. Since bungees are flexibe, I can quickly remove a couple cords to free a crate and remove it from the car when necessary. When Churro the cat joins the entourage (yes, he goes to dog shows and camping), I fold down a section of the split rear seat and bungee his crate to those tie-down cleats. Easy in, easy out.

A Patriot is a small station wagon. Yes, it’s easier to do this with crates in vehicles with a cargo area. But I’ve also secured crates to the rear seat in conventional two and four-door sedans. When M. came home to live with me, I picked her up at the Harrisburg KC show in a rented two-door Ford Focus. I bought a crate at the show and picked up more bungee cords at a local 99-cent store. Between the bungees and the seat-belts in the rear seat, I could safely secure the crate for the short trip from show site to motel, and for the three-hour trip home.

I crate dogs whether I’m driving a mile down the road or eight hours. My crates stay in the car 99% of the time. Yes, I choose my vehicles based on whether the crates fit (no two-seater sports cars for me…) But just as two-seater sports cars aren’t the best driving choice for a family with kids, having a car with room for crate(s) is the best driving choice for a family with a dog. Even a single person with a two-seater can put a crate in the car (as long as his dog isn’t a Mastiff – now we’re back to choosing an appropriate dog-car…) It’s just as important as having seat belt for me or a booster seat for a child.

I have had clients who insisted that keeping a crate in the car would take up too much space. One of them had a Yorkie and needed, at most, a cat-sized #100 crate. Groceries take up more room than that! I ask what they’d do if they had to carry a booster seat for a child for five years, and after they consider that, I show them how to safely secure a crate in a way that let’s them get it in and out of the car in a hurry.

Some folks’ dogs need a crate that won’t fit in their vehicles — and I can see why you might not want to own an SUV just because you have an Irish Wolfhound. I usually recommend barriers between the driver’s seat compartment and the rear of the vehicle to those clients. That’s not my favorite solution. But it’s far safer than a harness, IMO, for a dog that size.

Dogs do get car sick. One of my own had what my mom used to call a ‘glass stomach.’ Traveling on an empty stomach, giving her a teaspoon of honey before we left, keeping fresh air circulating in a cool vehicle and keeping her crate as stable as possible on the front passenger seat helped. Driving better (no sudden stops, jack rabbit starts or twisting roads with a lot of speed up-down) helped, too.

Putting Muni in the car and not going anywhere prevented any anxiety about car trips. Feeding her in her crate in the car meant that it was a safe place to be. Short rides to places she liked reinforced that the car was a fun place. Most of the time, my efforts to control her motion-sickness paid off. So while she occasionally had an upset stomach on the road, she happily made road trips all of her life. I work with owners of motion-sick dogs to find out what tricks will ease their experiences. Sometimes, nothing but motion sickness meds will help – but most dogs can be made comfortable. And no dog *has* to ride in the car unless it’s to the vet or to move across the country, so bottom-line, if even motion-sickness meds don’t help, the owner might have to deal with leaving Spot home.

Just one more thing – a car-sick dog isn’t necessarily going to be helped by looking out the window. I experience motion sickness, too, but looking out a window usually makes it worse. It’s the cool air and ventilation that helps alleviate motion sickness, and that will help the dog even if s/he’s crated.