Photo: WagnerReese.com
Distracted driving is dangerous to all parties involved, the person who’s doing the actually distracted driving and fellow motorists and pedestrians. The Mayor of Mantua, Ohio, is making sure the term “distracted driving” includes other aspects than just texting or using the cellphone while at the wheel.
Come December 20, the people of Mantua won’t be able to drive with their pets in their lap anymore, according to a recent report by Fox8. Similarly, they won’t be able to take their dogs or cats along for a ride if they’re not properly restrained and can move around the vehicle freely, because that means they can always turn into a distracting factor for their human.
Police may cite drivers who continue to take their pets for rides without thinking of their own or their animals’ safety. “A first offense is a minor misdemeanor. A second offense within one year would be a misdemeanor of the third degree, as would any offense that causes a traffic accident, according to Mantua police,” Fox8 notes.
Distracted driving remains the leading cause of accidents, not just in the US but also all over the world. Texting and driving is illegal, as also is driving while using the phone to check emails, catch up on some reading or some other activity. However, the Mayor of Mantua believes that riding with pets must also be addressed, and she won’t back down no matter the negative reactions she gets from dog owners.
Across the US, there are not many instances of laws that ban driving with pets in your lap or unrestrained on any of the passenger seats. Parade Magazine notes that the state of Hawaii has one that “explicitly forbids you from driving with a dog in your lap,” while New Jersey can fine drivers who do it, as part of the state’s animal cruelty laws.
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Rhode Island also have laws (either a distracted driving or animal rights laws) that make driving with an animal in your lap or unrestrained in a moving vehicle illegal / punishable by fine.
For a little village from Ohio to adopt a law that explicitly bans distracted driving by pet is quite a leap forward.
Police may cite drivers who continue to take their pets for rides without thinking of their own or their animals’ safety. “A first offense is a minor misdemeanor. A second offense within one year would be a misdemeanor of the third degree, as would any offense that causes a traffic accident, according to Mantua police,” Fox8 notes.
Distracted driving remains the leading cause of accidents, not just in the US but also all over the world. Texting and driving is illegal, as also is driving while using the phone to check emails, catch up on some reading or some other activity. However, the Mayor of Mantua believes that riding with pets must also be addressed, and she won’t back down no matter the negative reactions she gets from dog owners.
Across the US, there are not many instances of laws that ban driving with pets in your lap or unrestrained on any of the passenger seats. Parade Magazine notes that the state of Hawaii has one that “explicitly forbids you from driving with a dog in your lap,” while New Jersey can fine drivers who do it, as part of the state’s animal cruelty laws.
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Rhode Island also have laws (either a distracted driving or animal rights laws) that make driving with an animal in your lap or unrestrained in a moving vehicle illegal / punishable by fine.
For a little village from Ohio to adopt a law that explicitly bans distracted driving by pet is quite a leap forward.
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