Photo: Screenshot from video
Leaving animals in a car while you have other things to do could kill them. Many people have learned this the hard way, with children or pets dying because of heat stroke.
California, a state known for its high temperatures, has decided to take action, so that pets do not get hurt because of careless drivers. The bill signed on Saturday will allow citizens to smash a car’s windows to set a distressed pet free, without any legal consequences.
When this happened with a toddler, there was no problem with the legality of this measure, but people risked getting a fine or even legal action if they tampered with someone else’s property to save the life of an animal trapped in a hot car.
It is worth noting that the bill refers to this measure as a last resort, and not a recommendation. The citizens that want to save a pet they spot in a vehicle that is sitting in a place where it is exposed to the rays of the sun (and the resulting heat) must be sure there is no other way of rescuing the animal.
Potential rescuers must be sure that the doors are locked, and that the animal is in peril. The last conditions involved calling law enforcement and announcing the situation, and breaking a window without risking prosecution can only be done if the officers do not arrive at the scene fast enough.
If a citizen does break another car’s window to free an animal inside, he or she must wait for police officers to arrive and take note of the incident, NBC reports.
Several dogs died in California because they were forgotten or left in cars on hot days. Without proper ventilation, no water available, and in full exposure to the sun, the animals that perished because of heat stroke could have been saved if it had been allowed to break a window of a vehicle to protect them. Who knows, maybe their owners will be more careful from now on.
When this happened with a toddler, there was no problem with the legality of this measure, but people risked getting a fine or even legal action if they tampered with someone else’s property to save the life of an animal trapped in a hot car.
It is worth noting that the bill refers to this measure as a last resort, and not a recommendation. The citizens that want to save a pet they spot in a vehicle that is sitting in a place where it is exposed to the rays of the sun (and the resulting heat) must be sure there is no other way of rescuing the animal.
Potential rescuers must be sure that the doors are locked, and that the animal is in peril. The last conditions involved calling law enforcement and announcing the situation, and breaking a window without risking prosecution can only be done if the officers do not arrive at the scene fast enough.
If a citizen does break another car’s window to free an animal inside, he or she must wait for police officers to arrive and take note of the incident, NBC reports.
Several dogs died in California because they were forgotten or left in cars on hot days. Without proper ventilation, no water available, and in full exposure to the sun, the animals that perished because of heat stroke could have been saved if it had been allowed to break a window of a vehicle to protect them. Who knows, maybe their owners will be more careful from now on.
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