Car Seats For Fido

You know what is becoming a big distraction to drivers? No, no...besides those idiots who chat and text on their phones while driving. It's people who drive in cars with pets running about freely, often sitting in their laps. An unrestrained dog whether curled up on a lap, hanging out the window or resting its paws on the steering wheel can and does lead to many accidents.

Tens of thousands of car accidents are believed caused every year by unrestrained pets, though no one has specifically gathered statistics on it. Police though, claim it is more and more a cause of an accident. In 2009, 5,474 people were killed and 448,000 injured in crashes caused by distracted drivers in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Cell phones were the top driving distraction (drunk driving was second), being the cause of 18 percent of the fatalities and 5 percent of the injury crashes. If I see a cell addict chatting and driving while Fido jumps in his or her lap....I will slow and let them get far in front of me.

Now some states here, including my own Oregon (the proposal to be voted on shortly is a $90 fine for driving with the pet unrestrained), are considering laws that require pets to be in seat restraints. Right now, Hawaii is the only state that specifically forbids drivers from operating a vehicle with a pet on their lap. It's all because of the obvious risks involved in having a pet sitting on a human's lap or running free in the car. First, a pet is a missile when the car stops suddenly or has a collision. Too it can jump in the lap or make a movement that can startle the driver and cause an accident, and if an accident happens, a pet can jump out of the car and distract and cause another accident.

Anyway critics say it is too much about nothing, that not every distraction can be dealt with by passing laws. Have you ever seen a pet related accident or even a distraction caused by a pet? What do you think about laws requiring restrained pets when driving?