Should Pets Be Required to Wear a Seat Belt?
SodaHead Living
2012/06/11 19:39:13
|
|
|||||
|
278 votes
|
|
37% | |||
|
468 votes
|
|
63% | |||
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
-
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!
A dog is not a child.
A dog is a dog.
While s/he may be man's best friend, I'd rather not TRAUMATIZE my little Pookie, Pepper, or Crystal. I'm NOT about to strap dogs, who are already seemingly claustrophobic by nature, to the back/passengers' seat.
Unless, of course, you're Mitt Romney, in which case yes, the roof-transportation would require a seatbelt. Jerk.
Apparently those running New Jersey much prefer Russia/China than a place where One can make decisions without massive regulations or statutes of over-governance.
Or B) stay still and not wiggle out of the seat belt
it looked more like this - and they could fall asleep on long trips and not be subject to being tossed or slid around -- by my wild driving lol