Bad dog? Pets pose a threat to safe driving
LOS ANGELES – The best friend of man is not a driver's best friend.
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While legislators are banning drivers from text messaging or using cell phones, many motorists drive around with one other dangerous risks – their dogs.
Experts say that an unrestrained dog – or curled up on a lap, or hanging out the window the rest of her paws on the steering wheel – can be deadly. Tens of thousands of car accidents each year are believed caused by unrestrained pets, but no one has hard numbers.
"An unrestrained pet can be very distracting – if he is looking for your attention, and his face right in front of you, start chewing up the upholstery or vomit because he was car sick," said Katherine Miller, director of applied science and research for the American Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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The problem is the focus in some state houses. Hawaii is the only state that specifically prohibits drivers from driving a vehicle with a pet on your lap. But Oregon lawmakers consider fining drivers who keep their pets while driving. And some cities are action, too.
In 2009 5,474 people were slain and 448,000 injured in accidents caused by distracted drivers in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Mobile phones were the top distraction – the cause of 18 percent of the deaths and 5 percent of injury crashes. The agency does not track accidents caused by animals, but said they are counted among other distractions such as disruptive passengers, misbehaving children or drivers who try to put on makeup or reading.
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Author Stephen King a number of broken bones and a collapsed lung sustained in 1999 when he was hit by a driver who claimed he was distracted by his dog.
In a crash, an unrestrained pet into a lethal projectile or bruised by a driver or passenger is thrown forward by the collision.
Good pet owners, a harness or carrier use and security of their pets in the middle of the back, Miller said. That keeps dogs from jumping around and hurt or hurting others.
"A pet that weighs 50 pounds, in a 35 mph collision is forward projected as a cannonball force of 1,500 pounds, and that the critical cause injury to people in the front seat," Miller said.
Restraining a pet animal also loves running out after a crash and possibly hit or causing another crash, or getting in the way of first responders, she said.
Susan Tracks, 37, of Whitewood, SD, said her 12-pound Maltese named Mozart once could have been slain if he had not been wearing a harness.
Tracks was on his way to a Christmas gathering at her car veered out of control on the ice. She hit a highway barrier three times before the vehicle is stationary. Presents the car flew by, its coffee splattered all over the rear window. But Mozart stayed put.
Then, a few weeks ago, another driver clipped her bumper while trying to pass it sent its first in a spin and then into a ditch.
"Mozart was shaking. I'm sure he said 'Not again'," said Tracks. She was able to get the car into four-wheel drive and climb out of the ditch.
In Oregon, legislators will vote in the coming months on a bill that proposes a $ 90 fine for people who drive with an animal on their lap.
A similar bill made it to the office of the governor in California in 2008, but then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to sign, saying it was not a high priority.
Bill Pace, the former council member of Visalia, who introduced the bill does not, said he often sees drivers with "animals in their faces, in their lap and the steering wheel. … This is not a rare event."
Some cities have passed laws of their own. In Troy, Michigan, a law took effect Jan. 1 that makes it illegal to drive with a pet in your lap.
But Jonathan Adkins, communications director for the Governors Highway Safety Association, doubts that many states will only be allowed out.
Elected officials "can not a law for every bad driver behavior outlaw it," he said. "You go after the big ones."
But Adkins said the problem is underreported because the only way to know that a pet was at fault if the driver says.
Information about pet restrictions will come from pet owners, veterinarians, animal welfare agencies and insurance companies, he added. And that can take years, just like a long time people took to wearing seatbelts.
For pet owners, Tracks said, the answer is simple.
It takes no more than 10 seconds on the hook for its $ 12 Mozart in his armor. He helps by hopping on the chair and wait until they click.
"My dog is my baby. I want him a long and healthy life," she said. "It's not just about feeding him and love him. It's about keeping him safe in all respects, and that includes when we are in the car."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material May not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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