Should driving with an animal in your lap be illegal? NC legislator files bill

While many distracted driving accidents are blamed on cell phone use, one state legislator wants to take aim at another source of potential distraction: Pets.

Filed Wednesday, House Bill 73 would impose a $100 fine on anyone caught driving with a live animal in their lap.

“The General Assembly finds that the operation of a motor vehicle by a person holding a live animal in the person's lap must be prohibited as it is a distraction that endangers the safety of the driver, any passengers in the vehicle, others traveling in the same vicinity, and the animal,” says the bill, sponsored by Rep. Garland Pierce, a Democrat from Scotland County.

The bill wouldn’t restrict pets from riding in other parts of a vehicle.

Pierce said one of his constituents suggested the bill. “It’s a highway safety issue when you think about it,” he said. “I know people care about their animals, but it’s just a common sense thing. They need to be considerate of the safety of the animal. The animal could get spooked and jump out.”

A quick internet search found multiple incidents of fatal accidents involving a driver who had a dog in their lap at the time.

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Should driving with an animal in your lap be illegal? NC legislator files bill."