Buckle up your pets

[PK90 3,573]

IMO, this absolutely sucks. You can no longer treat your dog as man's best friend. What's next? Your shopping bags must be put into a container with a lid? Coffee must be poured into a resevoir with a straw?

 

 

N.J. animal group: Buckle up pets or face fines

 

LEONIA, N.J. – Not all driving distractions ring or beep. Some of them bark, state officials said Wednesday in urging motorists to restrain their pets on the road.

 

"You wouldn't put your child in the car unrestrained, so you shouldn't put your pet in the car unrestrained either," Col. Frank Rizzo, superintendent of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said at a news conference.

 

"Anything that can instantly take a driver's eyes and mind off the road is a potentially lethal distraction," added Raymond Martinez, chairman of the state's Motor Vehicle Commission.

 

Under state law, they noted, NJSPCA officers can stop a driver they believe is improperly transporting an animal. Tickets can range from $250 to $1,000 per offense, and a driver can face a disorderly person's offense under animal-cruelty laws.

 

According to Rizzo, his officers "will be checking for vehicles traveling to and from the shore areas" with unrestrained animals.

 

"Of course a dog traveling on a driver's lap is bad," he said. "But so are dogs hanging their heads out of windows, birds traveling on a driver's shoulder or cats resting on a dashboard."

 

A sampling of New Jersey pet owners showed support for the initiative, even as some motorists cruised local highways with dogs serving as co-pilots.

 

Kathy Sklar of Pennsauken, NJ, said she always transports her pet in a carrier. "That's one of the first things I bought when I got my cat," she said.

 

"It's really up to the owner, but people take a gamble when they put their animals in the front seat," added Kristina Dello of Cherry Hill.

 

In a 2010 survey by AAA, Martinez said, 20% of participants admitted to letting their dog sit on their lap while they drove. He said a "staggering" 31% said they were distracted by their dog while driving.

 

Rizzo said pets should be "contained or restricted from moving around freely in a car and if that is not possible, at least harnessed or leashed using any number of safety products on the market."

 

"What people come to realize only too late is that animals act like flying missiles in an impact and can not only hurt themselves but hurt their human family members too," Rizzo said.

 

More than 5,400 Americans die each year in car accidents caused by distracted driving, primarily as a result of cellphone use, Martinez said.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Holly crap, you got to be kidding me.. Just imagine a dog that doesn't like to be restrained and fighting the who time you're driving, think that will be a bigger distraction..

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Its a good idea to buckle them up or keep them restrained in a crate or cage. Animals not restrained in a vehicle can get very agitated and frantic. At the very least this puts more stress on the driver. It can also provoke a car accident if the animal is trying to get close to the driver and causing distraction in a number of ways. Believe me, I have seen this happen first hand. Many times.

[silverado427 10,757]

I don't know what these people are smoking, My dog rides in the back seat and hangs her head out the window and she loves it. I have a feeling this is for all the D BAGS who let their lap dogs hang on the steering wheel.

[hotshot 4]

I'd like to see them get the seat belt around my do g..lol..

[BigHayden 77]

Apparently this has been a law for years, and it's at the officer's discretion whether or not to pull you over for it. Those fines are outrageous!

 

One more reason to get the F out of this state, and I don't even have any pets.

[Sandy 44]

While I do not believe in legislating it , I do think it is foolish to have a dog skipping around the car while you drive. All dogs are different though. Some sit nicely in the back sit or passenger seat . Why should there be a law to crate them or restrain them ? But the ones that go nuts , go window to window barking , sit on the drivers lap ..yes that is stupidity. So ticket THEM for driving unsafely if they see it , but leave everyone else who knows their dog alone.

 

Again , instead of making it a blanket law because some people are stupid, give tickets to people with their Pomeranian in their lap yapping away while they are driving.

 

The crate they make to house my Mastiff does not fit in the truck. Even if it did , I have 2 big dogs and 2 crates won't fit. I do leash them to something with a regular collar on for two reasons . One , I don't want me or my kids to get hit with 300 pounds of canine if we wreck. Two , if I do get pulled over , they'll go sick , and I would probably get ticketed according to the law as it is.

[silverado427 10,757]

People are stupid that's the bottom line. The complete lack of common sense fargs it up for everyone else.

[BlueLineFish 615]

The people with dogs driving on their lap drives me crazy. If the dog is in the back with its head out fine. But not on your lap

[Parker 213]

Totally asinine. My "Dr Seuss poem" is apropos for this as well.

 

see: http://njgunforums.c...post__p__488543

[Dan 177]

I see tons of unsafe idiotic driving every day that doesn't involve pets, they should be going after those people and not focusing on silly stuff like this.

 

Besides, focusing on "shore" traffic on the parkway is a moot point, as any weekend parkway shore traffic will be going max 10mph in anyway!

[Shawnmoore81 623]

This is bs. When is enough enough with this god damn state.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

The people with dogs driving on their lap drives me crazy. If the dog is in the back with its head out fine. But not on your lap

 

x2 exactly how i feel. My dog isnt allowed in the front seat and usually just sits on the back seat or sticks his head out of the window. Yeah sometimes he barks, but he is usually good and NEVER comes up front with me. My daughter also acts as the gate keeper to the front seat. LOL

[reloaderguy 30]

The people with dogs driving on their lap drives me crazy. If the dog is in the back with its head out fine. But not on your lap

 

I'm with you on that. How rediculous and down right dangerous is it to have some idiot with one of those rat dogs sitting on your lap with it's head out the window!

[checko 180]

My boxer likes to stand on the center console and lean and lick me while im driving. She's secured in a harness when in the car.

[deadeye74 5]

I have a 90 pound lab that gets cage aggression so no crates here. Being she is 10 years old and is picky about how she sits, she would be very uncomfortable being tied in to the car.

 

I often dream of a day when a government agency will just let us make our own decisions and not fill our lives with BS!

[17Pilot 0]

"Anything that can instantly take a driver's eyes and mind off the road is a potentially lethal distraction," added Raymond Martinez, chairman of the state's Motor Vehicle Commission.

 

So, should we ticket people looking at billboards, listening to car radios, and talking to passengers also as these things can instantly take you eyes and mind off the road.

[stever 16]

politicians should be restrained

[Kaiser7 33]

Haha, my mom just got a ticket for not registering our dog today.

 

He died June 9th of Last year, so she has to show up in court to tell them that.

[BigHayden 77]

x2 exactly how i feel. My dog isnt allowed in the front seat and usually just sits on the back seat or sticks his head out of the window. Yeah sometimes he barks, but he is usually good and NEVER comes up front with me. My daughter also acts as the gate keeper to the front seat. LOL

The people with dogs driving on their lap drives me crazy. If the dog is in the back with its head out fine. But not on your lap

 

The news report I saw talked about it being illegal for your dog to be jumping around in the back/front seat, being on a front seat passenger/driver's lap, unrestrained in the bed of a pickup, or sticking its head out the window. We all know the media doesn't always tell the whole story, but it sounded to me like you could be ticketed for a dog in the back seat with his head out the window.

[checko 180]

Haha, my mom just got a ticket for not registering our dog today.

 

He died June 9th of Last year, so she has to show up in court to tell them that.

 

How the hell did that happen

[KpdPipes 388]

How the hell did that happen

 

Health Department goes through the lists, sees who hasnt gotten their license for the current year, and insead of calling or writing to check, gets lazy and just issues the summons.

[deadeye74 5]

 

Health Department goes through the lists, sees who hasnt gotten their license for the current year, and insead of calling or writing to check, gets lazy and just issues the summons.

 

My township does something similar. Once you register your pet for a license, you get a yearly renewal reminder. If you don't pay on time, they automatically send a nasty gram in the mail with an additional fee for the license. The difference is you have the chance to call them and say if your dog is dead or no longer with you. Not sure if you get an actual summons to appear if it's ignored.

[NJDrew1 0]

My township does something similar. Once you register your pet for a license, you get a yearly renewal reminder. If you don't pay on time, they automatically send a nasty gram in the mail with an additional fee for the license. The difference is you have the chance to call them and say if your dog is dead or no longer with you. Not sure if you get an actual summons to appear if it's ignored.

 

Samw here. The crazy part is that, rather than to assign a pet tag and keeping the tag number the same from year-to-year, when you renew the license they send you out a new tag with a new number. Such an unnecessary step that only drives up the cost of administering the process.

[NJDrew1 0]

This is bs. When is enough enough with this god damn state.

 

LOL -- it's never enough. They're here to help.

[LennyTheLip 0]

I guess its easier to to go after the dog with his head out the window, than to go after the dog fighting rings, the puppy mills that pump them out like an assembly line, the guy/girl who keeps 100 cats in their house, you know the people who should have a pet at all. What a crock of crap.

[stever 16]

can somebody tell me if this applies to an 8 pound dog in a harness restrained on a passenger's lap in the front seat? if so maybe I should turn myself in..I would never let my dog hang out a window with crap blowing in her eyes anyway..

[TheLugNutZ 21]

can somebody tell me if this applies to an 8 pound dog in a harness restrained on a passanger's lap in the front seat? if so maybe I should turn myself in..I would never let my dog hang out a window with crap blowing in her eyes anyway..

 

is there something wrong with letting a dog stick its head out of the window now?

[silverado427 10,757]

is there something wrong with letting a dog stick its head out of the window now?

Yeah Its not generating any tax dollars...

[TheLugNutZ 21]

winnar!