News Stiffer penalty for unrestrained dogs than people.

monstah · Jun 6, 2012

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-06-04/vehicle-pet-restraint-laws/55384736/1

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

What are your thoughts?

Brianna · Jun 6, 2012

I think it's great that there's a law on the books for restraining animals properly, but I don't agree with a stiffer penalty for animals than kids.

jess71903 · Jun 6, 2012

Animal cruelty laws? Isn't restraining your pet more for your benefit (so he's not a projectile) than his? If that's the case, then shouldn't people with a bunch of junk in their back seats be fined the same way?

I do think pets should be restrained, but this law makes me cringe. It seems like quite the over-reach to me.

Brianna · Jun 6, 2012

jess71903 said:
Animal cruelty laws? Isn't restraining your pet more for your benefit (so he's not a projectile) than his? If that's the case, then shouldn't people with a bunch of junk in their back seats be fined the same way?

I do think pets should be restrained, but this law makes me cringe. It seems like quite the over-reach to me.

A crash that would injure a human would injure an unrestrained animal in addition to possibly injuring other passengers. Animals can't speak up for themselves and I personally think animal cruelty laws are a good thing.

babyherder · Jun 6, 2012

I think it will benefit people because unrestrained animals can be projectiles too. A sort of roundabout way of doing things but whatever works.

ketchupqueen · Jun 6, 2012

I think the obvious solution is to keep this law, but raise car seat and seatbelt violation fines.

monstah · Jun 6, 2012

ketchupqueen said:
I think the obvious solution is to keep this law, but raise car seat and seatbelt violation fines.

Wouldn't it be something if parents start getting fined $250-$1000 per offense and possibly charged with child abuse if they don't restrain their children properly.

jess71903 · Jun 6, 2012

monstah said:
Wouldn't it be something if parents start getting fined $250-$1000 per offense and possibly charged with child abuse if they don't restrain their children properly.

THAT makes sense to me, because you ARE putting a child in danger.

jess71903 · Jun 6, 2012

Brianna said:
A crash that would injure a human would injure an unrestrained animal in addition to possibly injuring other passengers. Animals can't speak up for themselves and I personally think animal cruelty laws are a good thing.

But my point is that the pet buckle and other animal restraint devices aren't meant to protect the dog, but the people. It has the added convenience of keeping the dog where it should be, and not distracting the driver, but, it has been my understanding that the animal restraints aren't designed to save the animal's life.

Brianna · Jun 6, 2012

jess71903 said:
But my point is that the pet buckle and other animal restraint devices aren't meant to protect the dog, but the people. It has the added convenience of keeping the dog where it should be, and not distracting the driver, but, it has been my understanding that the animal restraints aren't designed to safe the animal's life.

I don't really understand crash test standards, but the Bergan harness complies with the V9DT standard. http://v9dt.com/standard.htm It seems that simply restraining the dog in a crash serves to protect them as they won't be ejected or hit the seat in front of them at the force they would unbuckled.

lyn_ak · Jun 6, 2012

I don't think the law was meant to prevent animals from becoming projectiles or to prevent harm to the dog. I think it is to prevent the unrestrained animal from causing a collision.

A forward facing 9 month old probably won't jump up and over the seats and under your legs, but an unrestrained dog most certainly can.

cookie123 · Jun 6, 2012

There's also the people who like to hold the dog on their laps while driving. If there was a law against that, I'm for it.

safeinthecar · Jun 6, 2012

monstah said:
Wouldn't it be something if parents start getting fined $250-$1000 per offense and possibly charged with child abuse if they don't restrain their children properly.

Wanna come to CA? $473 for the first violation, and doubles each time after. (Still doesn't fix stupid though)

jess71903 said:
But my point is that the pet buckle and other animal restraint devices aren't meant to protect the dog, but the people. It has the added convenience of keeping the dog where it should be, and not distracting the driver, but, it has been my understanding that the animal restraints aren't designed to safe the animal's life.

Brianna said:
I don't really understand crash test standards, but the Bergan harness complies with the V9DT standard. http://v9dt.com/standard.htm It seems that simply restraining the dog in a crash serves to protect them as they won't be ejected or hit the seat in front of them at the force they would unbuckled.

There is always some inherent safety just in not being ejected, and the standards reflect that. There's no actual studies on the impact of the harness itself on the different body structures of different breeds of dogs. I also think animal restrain laws probably cover things like weather conditions, horse trailer standards and stuff like that.

lyn_ak said:
I don't think the law was meant to prevent animals from becoming projectiles or to prevent harm to the dog. I think it is to prevent the unrestrained animal from causing a collision.

A forward facing 9 month old probably won't jump up and over the seats and under your legs, but an unrestrained dog most certainly can.

Exactly.

ketchupqueen · Jun 6, 2012

Of course, an unrestrained 9 month old- or 2 year old- could definitely cause a collision. I've seen kids unrestrained in the back seat jumping around, lean forward and yank on the driver.

jennlana · Jun 6, 2012

Hawaii is starting to enforce laws on restraining your pets. Dogs may not be in the driver's lap, must be buckled in if they are in the front seat or back seats. Pet barriers must be used in SUV's (I just got one for my Expedition) and pets must be in a crate when transported in the back of a truck. But here's the funny part...People are allowed to ride in the back of trucks! They sit in their lawn chairs in the bed of the truck and drive down the highway!

MomToEliEm · Oct 15, 2012

Bumping up this thread since I saw a video on NBCNews.com this morning regarding the pet harness seatbelts. The study performed by the Center for Pet Safety revealed a 100 percent failure rate on all the models tested. In many of the videos shown, the harness actually breaks and the dog is thrown forward. That seems pretty unsafe to any human passengers (as well as the dog). Hopefully this study will make manufacturers modify their products to make them work better.

http://centerforpetsafety.org/research/

VoodooChile · Oct 15, 2012

MomToEliEm said:
Bumping up this thread since I saw a video on NBCNews.com this morning regarding the pet harness seatbelts. The study performed by the Center for Pet Safety revealed a 100 percent failure rate on all the models tested. In many of the videos shown, the harness actually breaks and the dog is thrown forward. That seems pretty unsafe to any human passengers (as well as the dog). Hopefully this study will make manufacturers modify their products to make them work better.

http://centerforpetsafety.org/research/

I saw this on the Today Show this morning. My dd was watching too and was calling all the info back to me (I was in the master bath) in case I missed anything.

VanIsleMommy · Oct 15, 2012

thanks for sharing. I was using a seatbelt harness for my pup but i guess a crate it is.

Lenae · Oct 15, 2012

Our dog lays in the footwell of the backseat. We usually clip a small lead to the track of the seat and his harness to keep him from moving around in the car. Good idea or bad? He can't ride on the seat in between the kids because he tries to climb on them when he can't lay down comfortably.

ETA: This is in my car. In DH's Jeep, he has a crate in the back, bungeed to cargo tie downs.

henrietta · Oct 15, 2012

First thoughts..and then I'll read the article!

It's my experience that this is usually related to folks transporting dogs loose in the back of pick up trucks. Dogs have been known to jump or fall out and cause massive accidents in which *people* and the dogs are injured or killed. In addition, dogs in these situations are subject to heat stress and cold that falls under other animal protection laws.

I actually don't think that it should necessarily be a higher or lower fine for one of the other--just that there should certainly be penalties for children or animals.

ETA: Now to add, I do agree that they are a huge distraction when riding loose in the car, both before a crash, as a possible or probable cause, and after the crash when they either are injured or are running thru traffic and causing more issues. A loose pet in the car, climbing over the driver, getting under the brake and gas pedals, knocking the gear shift, blocking vision, is a HUGE distraction. I had numerous clients who's dogs were such a distraction in the car that they hired me for private training lessons in their home, b/c they didn't want to drive with them! I had one client miss the first class b/c her dog jumped out the half open car window on the INTERSTATE, and he nearly caused a wreck. It was such a big deal that I showed clients at the first class ways to restrain their dogs in the car and really pushed that they use something every single time. It still shocks me when I see folks driving w/the their dogs in their laps or with half their bodies out the car windows.

News Stiffer penalty for unrestrained dogs than people.

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