NEW SEAT BELT LAW FOR PETS!!

Category: Cat Care, Dog Care | Tags: Tags: new seat belt law for dogs, seat belt law for pets

Date: June 15th, 2012

New Jersey is now the only state in the country where driving with pets loose in the car is a violation of animal cruelty law. Drivers who do not secure their pet can face a ticket of $250 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. Additionally, allowing your pets to hang his head out the window, having him riding in the back of a truck curling up on the driver’s lap are also ticket-able offenses under the law.

Dogs can be placed in harnesses that click right into the seat belt buckle. Cats don’t take well to harnesses for the most part, so they need to go in a carrier. And the carrier needs to be buckled down.

Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) Chairman and Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez and Superintendent of the NJ Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA) Col. Frank Rizzo delivered the “Buckle Up Your Pet” safety message prior to the official start of summer because more people take to the roads with their pets in the warmer weather months.

“You wouldn’t put your child in the car unrestrained so you shouldn’t put your pet in the car unrestrained either,” said Col. Rizzo. “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.”

While pets can be a danger in the car, they are also a hazard if they’re not buckled up because an unrestrained pet in an accident can delay emergency workers from acting and can even run away, which could cause another accident.  In addition, you need to make sure your pets are safe, in case of a fender bender or any other accident!

During the summer months, the NJSPCA Officers will be checking for vehicles traveling to and from the shore areas with dogs hanging their heads out of windows or unleashed dogs traveling in the open back of pick-up trucks.

So, even if you are passing through the Garden State and your pets are not restrained, the po po might git ya! Watch out!

I have always restrained my pup and kitties in the car.  My dog wears a doggie seat belt, and the cats go in the carrier, and then the carrier is belted in.  I don’t trust drivers out there, and I want my babies to be safe!  I agree with this LAW!!

What do you think about the new seat belt laws regarding dogs in New Jersey? Share in a comment.