We all know that to be a good driver one of the big things is always to be alert and paying attention to your surroundings by avoiding distractions, but not all driving distractions ring or beep sometimes it is dogs. This distraction comes with 4 legs, a tail that wags, and a tongue that sticks out. Yes somehow people think it is ok to let dogs run around loose in the car. Just yesterday I was driving and all of a sudden in the car in front of me a little dog jumps up on the back window ledge. Sitting there half on half off while we are at the red light and then the light turned green and the dog was still up there. While the river might have thought it was cute it was a danger to them if they would have had to stop short the dog would have gone flying and either crashed into their heads or flown clear through the windshield.
And so, animal protection and automobile safety officials nationwide are starting to unleash a new message: Restrain your pet on the road. To date only a few states have passed legislation requiring animal restraints in moving vehicles, and in some of those states laws apply only to animals riding in the exterior of the vehicle, such as the bed of a pickup, according to AAA.
In New Jersey, under state law, NJSPCA officers can stop a driver they believe is improperly transporting an animal. Tickets range from $250 to $1,000 per offense, and a driver can face a disorderly person’s offense under animal-cruelty laws. Hawaii explicitly forbids drivers from holding a pet on their lap. In Arizona, Connecticut and Maine, distracted-driving laws can be used to charge driverswith pets on their laps.
My readers know that this is a huge pet peeve of mine. Its one thing if the dog is sitting in the back seat nicely but another to have your dog on your lap between you and the steering wheel. I guess its ok if you want to squish your dog if you stop short. Its one thing if you have he window cracked especially if you are transporting a big dog more then 5 minutes down the road and dog breath begins to overwhelm your car. Its another if you have the window so far open that your pet can stick half its body outside and in some cases jump out the window if they see something exciting going on around them.
For those who think it is cruel to crate your pet in the car or put a harness restraint on them would you think it is cruel to put a child in a restraining seat while driving. For the most part both are completely content riding in some kind of restraint in fact they both probably feel more secure riding in the car that way anyway. I know for a fact Davinia feels more secure in a carrying bag or crate as she used to throw up just being loose on the seat or being held tight in someone’s lap so that hasn’t even happened in years.
I was so pleased to read that I am not alone in this “pet peeve” my daughter and son-in-law have a Yorkie and my son-in-law insists on riding with the dog on his shoulder or lap with the window cracked far enough for the dog to stick her head out and I go crazy everytime he does it in my vehicle while I am driving.
Letting a small dog loose in the car at all is very disturbing to me becuase it takes nothing for them to hop off your lap or the lap of another passenger and end up between your legs on the floor or worse near the pedals when you need to shift or stop.
I cannot get through to him that she is not suffering by riding in her carry bag, or on the lap of someone in the backseat where there are not windows that open.
Thank yo for making people aware of the potential dangers to the pets, the people, and to others on the road.
I have not really thought about this one before. Luckily our dog has been well-behaved in the car on all but one occasion. She jumped out of the car when I stopped at a near-by gas station. I won’t drive with her when I’m alone in the car now. You have definitely given me something to think about.
Great article…of course when I am driving at the beach I don’t crate my dog.