I am pretty sure that having dogs restrained in cars is now a legal requirement. We have a crate in the back and a seat belt harness for the other hound on the back seat. I think that there is a pretty hefty fine if you are caught with an unrestrained dog.
As someone previously said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with crate training a dog, as long as it is used correctly. More often than not, it is for their own safety, not for the convenience of the owner.
When left on his own, my Flat Coat was a wrecking ball. Chewing through electric cables and getting hold of bottles of toxic household products was not good for his health, oddly enough. I would prefer that my dogs were able to be left in safety. I think that anyone who leaves a puppy to its own devices is, frankly irresponsible. What happens when you go to the supermarket, for example? Give it the run of the house?
Both my Retrievers now take themselves to the crate as and when they choose. One of them takes their night-time Bonio in there - it is a safe space.
Don't knock the crate's usefulness.
