Four legs or two: up front with you--preventing tragedies by keeping children and pets out of the cargo areas of pickup trucks.

Dogs and children riding in the cargo area of pickup trucks are common sights on our nation's highways, country roads, and small town streets. This scene brings to mind idyllic childhoods filled with summer days spent bouncing down roads in the back of grandpa's pickup truck, wind catching the laughter from children's throats. For hundreds of families each year, this activity is the cause of heartache, traumatic injuries, and senseless deaths. More than 200 people die each year, half of whom are younger than 18 years of age, as a direct result of falls from cargo areas of pickup trucks. Injuries and deaths resulting from riding in cargo areas of pickup trucks are not limited to humans. In a recent survey, 71% of veterinarians reported treating dogs for injuries sustained by falling or jumping from cargo areas of pickup trucks. This percentage does not take into account countless dogs that were killed and not treated. Injuries and deaths resulting from riding in cargo areas of pickup trucks are preventable. Whereas it may take millions of dollars and many years to cure diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and AIDS, pickup truck-associated deaths can be prevented simply by educating the public to not allow children and pets to ride in cargo areas. The primary objective of "Four legs or two: Up front with you" is to educate the public on the risks involved with travel in the cargo areas of pickup trucks. Making people aware that children and pets are not cargo is the first step toward decreasing senseless injuries and deaths.