Should Pets Be Required to Wear a Seat Belt?
SodaHead Living
2012/06/11 19:39:13
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278 votes
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468 votes
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Hmm ... we've never really thought about this one before. Should owners have to buckle up their pets in the car, or face a hefty fine? In New Jersey, penalties for driving with an unrestrained pet range from $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail, NorthJersey.com reports.
"That’s for each offense," Col. Frank Rizzo, police superintendent for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told reporters. "So, if you have more than one animal loose in your car, just do the math…"
The New Jersey statute defines unrestrained pets in cars as animal cruelty. Some pet owners use small cages, but most buy seats and harnesses that attach directly to existing seat belts, NorthJersey.com reports. However, a 2010 survey conducted by the American Automobile Association showed that 20 percent of those polled allow their dogs to sit on their laps while they drive. And nearly one-third of the respondents admitted that unrestrained pets are distracting.
“Some people tell us they like to let their pets hang their heads out the window to take in the fresh air," Rizzo said, "but dogs and cats become projectiles in a crash." Do you think people should be forced to buckle up their pets?
“Some people tell us they like to let their pets hang their heads out the window to take in the fresh air," Rizzo said, "but dogs and cats become projectiles in a crash." Do you think people should be forced to buckle up their pets?
Top Opinion
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Yes
+19I tie my dog up in the passenger seat or the back seat cause she'll try and jump in my lap (this is no purse dog, this is a 65-70lbs adult black lab, who still thinks she's a puppy) She could obstruct my view! Very dangerous. And for the safety of the dog too, if in a car accident I'd hate to think of my poor girl to fly out the window and getting hurt worst!
I love my dogs, but they don't belong in the driver's lap, or ESPECIALLY under the driver's feet(they're little, and easily fit under the peddles if I let them go there)... most people don't know how else to control their dogs than to confine them in some way, so those people especially, should be expected to keep their dogs in the back seat
ANYONE can get in an accident.
by all means though if you think you shoul dput a seatbelt on your dog, go ahead and do it, do you really need the government to make you do it before you do it?
And no, I don't want the government involved in every aspect of our lives...I've been bitching about people who let their pets ride unrestrained long before there was any talk about making it against the law.
Pretty soon you won't be able to leave your house without being fined for something.
Another "cute" trick is the doggie in the bed of a truck. They should be in a carrier or physically restrained (comfortably). Yeah, I did it once---Gino (a pitt/beagle mix---We called him our beagle on steroids.) jumped out of the b...
Another "cute" trick is the doggie in the bed of a truck. They should be in a carrier or physically restrained (comfortably). Yeah, I did it once---Gino (a pitt/beagle mix---We called him our beagle on steroids.) jumped out of the bed as I was pulling out of the driveway. Fortunately, he was not injured, and he never rode in the bed again. He wasn't at fault; I was. It looked cool to have yer dawg in th bed o' yer truck. It is simply irresponsible to subject a dog to that potentially fatal scenario. And if he does jump/fall out of the truck bed, he becomes a hazard for other drivers either as a projectile, or avoidance.
Now with cats, I don't think one could belt one in. I've tried, and Muffins just don't meow that way. A carrier is a must for a cat. Ya get used to the constant, monotone meowing, but you don't get a cat on your head or worse.