There are pets that are so loved by their owners, that they have the premier spot in the driver’s seat whenever they are in the car. We are talking about dogs that sit on the laps of their owners in the car, and hog the prime spot – the driver’s seat. Allowing your pet to sit on your lap while you are driving is not a good idea, no matter the relative size of the dog.
This situation is unsafe for the dog owner and for the driver. It is also very unsafe for the drivers of the other cars around you – which will include in effect, everyone else on the road. Imagine this scenario: A driver is driving to the store. It is broad daylight, but there is an emergency vehicle coming up behind traffic. The cars start to move over into the break down lane to let the ambulance go by. Only one car doesn’t get the memo, and stays it the driving lane. That car is driven by a driver who has a lap dog on his lap, and is more interested in the fact that the dog is chewing on the seat belt, or the dog is doing something it otherwise should not be doing. The driver looks up and sees that the road is clear, and proceeds to go through the light, when bam! It gets hit by the driver of an ambulance who is also rushing through the same light to save someone’s life.
Imagine, dogs in the front seat. Everyone has seen owners who let their dogs hang out of rear windows, their ears catching a breeze. I am positive these owners do not know that sand and debris are getting into the eyes of their dogs, or that it is dangerous for the dogs in so many other ways. But, to allow a dog onto your lap when driving, it is really out of the question. When you are driving a car, you should be driving a car. If you are behind a driver who has a lap dog on the lap, you are at an increased risk of an accident. It will be no wonder when you do have that accident, it is a matter of when, not “if.”
Animals that ride in cars should possibly be held in a harness, crate or restraint to have fewer distractions for the driver. The fact that animals are left to wander around the car mean that the driver is less focused on driving the vehicle, and more interested in the pet and its actions. If you have ever driven behind a car, where there is a dog pacing in the back seat then you know what I am talking about. If a dog is running from one window to the other, how can the driver see out of any back window safely?
If you are involved in an accident and the driver has pets in the car that were distracting to the safe driving of the vehicle, you will want to call an expert in these situations. I have also heard stories from other people who have actually seen iguanas and guinea pigs riding unfettered in cars, and they are equally as much of a hazard as a larger pet would be.
If you have been in an accident with another driver who had a dog on his or her lap at the time of the accident, you will want to call the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or email us at www.ledgerlaw.com.
