If you’re reading this blog we’re preaching to the choir when we talk about how valuable Service and Assistance Dogs can be to those who have been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident. From mobility impairments to brain and neurological injuries, Service and Assistance Dogs can be trained to complete indispensable tasks for their disabled owners.

Of course we would love to see more Service and Assistance Dogs trained and placed with disabled people. But what we would love to see even more would be fewer preventable injuries.

Car accidents are the leading cause of acquired disability in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn’t finished estimates for 2009, but their 2008 statistics cite 16 million vehicle crashes resulting in 2,346,000 people injured. Many of these accidents could have been prevented by simply using a seat belt.

There have been two large scale public service announcements in the United States within the past 30 years. The crash-test dummies and currently the click it or ticket campaign. Those campaigns have been successful, but personally, I don’t feel their messages have been as beautifully compelling as the brand new PSA from Sussex for Safer Roads Partnership in the United Kingdom (shown below).

So please. Fasten your seat belt. And please make sure your Service or Assistance Dog is secured too.
Visit Bark Buckle Up for more information.