NJ to mandate doggie seat belts?

Good idea or more government intrusion? When I had a car and a dog, I don't recall it being an issue though that's not to say it can't be. Having a dog in the front seat or even on the driver's lap has the potential to be a major problem, as a fireman mentions inside the link.

Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer, a Newark Democrat who owns a Pomeranian named A.J. along with five cats and a rabbit, has introduced a bill to require motorists to secure dogs and felines with a seatbelt-like harness if they’re not being transported in crates. Violators would get a $25 ticket that might escalate to an animal-cruelty charge with a fine of as much as $1,000 in extreme cases, such as having an unrestrained pet in the bed of a pickup.

Securing animals is “a bigger issue than people realize,” said Spencer, 44, a liability-law attorney. She said her measure will protect motorists and animals alike.

“We didn’t think that texting was so big of an issue until people started dying,” she said.