News from Assemblywoman Spencer

Spencer Animal Restraint Bill Designed to Protect Motorists and Pets

(NEWARK) – Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-Newark) weighed in Thursday on the intent of her legislation that would require pets to be restrained when traveling in automobiles, a measure she crafted to help protect both motorists and pets, alike.

“Unrestrained pets in the car can be more of a distraction than a cell phone, especially if the animal is hopping from seat to seat, trying to sit on your lap, or worse, if they jump down by your feet.  It’s in the best interest of motorists and the pets themselves to have them restrained. 

“There may be different ways we can go about achieving this goal, but at the very least, I think this is a discussion worth having.

“I want to commend the young student who first proposed this idea to me for being concerned and engaged.  I have a small dog and I know how distracting they can be when driving. I’ve also spoken with my vet who has treated pets that were injured from being thrown around in a car that was forced to stop short.  Pets can be hurt or killed just as easily as a person and I think that’s something we all want to avoid,” said Spencer.

Spencer’s legislation (A-3221) would require the driver of a passenger automobile to secure any non-crated domestic cat or dog that is being transported in a vehicle with an appropriately sized, properly adjusted, and fastened seat belt restraint system. 

A “seat belt restraint system” is defined under the bill as a device, including an animal safety harness, modified seat belt, tether, or other similar type of control apparatus, which humanely restricts the movement of a domestic dog or cat and keeps the animal secured and confined to a seat in a passenger automobile or within a passenger automobile’s cargo area during motor vehicle transport.