New California Law Banning Dogs on Laps in Cars
Quite often, people do not respond favorably when lawmakers try to impose rules and restrictions on driving
and vehicles. Think about it—many people still debate the logic of seatbelt safety laws, regardless of how many studies have been done to prove how effective seatbelts can be in keeping people from being seriously harmed when in accidents. But, a new bill regarding vehicles was passed recently in California—and, it is likely that most people will agree with this one.
California Assemblyman Bill Maze developed the idea for this bill when he saw a woman driving with three dogs in her lap. Yes, three dogs. The woman was driving down the road and had three dogs on her lap. Assemblyman Maze was astounded at what he saw, and immediately came up with the idea to formulate a bill to ban motorists from driving with pets on their laps.
Driving with a pet (or three) on the lap is simply dangerous—not only to the driver, but also to other drivers. Pets can be distracting, to say the least. They do not sit still, at least not completely. Pets may step on the steering wheel, put a paw on the horn, suddenly lunge near a turn signal, jump down toward the gas pedal, or do any one of a number of other things that could divert the driver’s attention—which, in turn, could cause the driver to hit other cars.
Proponents of safe driving will likely not argue with the passing of this bill in California. In fact, it is very possible that similar bills will be adopted in other states. After all, many states have been working toward passing other bills regarding safe driving.
People behind the wheel simply should not have their attention focused on anything except for the road and the traffic. This is why many cell phones have become hands-free. This is why women are criticized for putting on makeup while they are behind the wheel. And, this is why most GPS units now have speech functions so that drivers do not need to look over to read the maps on the unit.
And, it is doubtful that any of the above-mentioned activities are even as disturbing to the driver as a pet on the lap could be. This is why Assemblyman Maze was so adamant about pushing this bill through California State Congress. And, this is probably why this bill quickly passed with an overwhelming majority. Now this bill is headed to the California Senate for approval, which it will likely get.
Of course, there probably are at least a few people out there who will disagree with the intention of this bill, saying that their dogs are so well-behaved and should be allowed to ride wherever they please. But the point is this—no human can guarantee the actions of a pet on any given day. Because of this, pets can cause accidents, so they should be restricted as to where they can sit.