When Man's Best Friend Must Be Buckled Up

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If you're thinking of taking a road trip with your favorite family member - your dog - in the car, there are laws you'll need to know.

A dog driving a tractor caused a traffic jam in Scotland last month. His human, with whom he had been riding, got off the tractor but had apparently failed to put on the brake so when the dog leaned forward, he put the tractor into drive taking it through the gate and onto the highway. The dog was unharmed. Maybe it's because no human (kilt wearing, bagpipe playing, or otherwise) was behind the wheel.

A AAA survey found that of all drivers who said they'd driven with their dogs in the car, 21% admitted to keeping the dog on their lap while driving, and 31% said they had been distracted by their pet, regardless of where the pet had been in the car.

But, state laws may prevent that.

New Jersey drivers face a $1000 fine for keeping unrestrained animals in the front seat, partially out the window, or even in the back of a pickup truck. Hawaii law prevents drivers from keeping pets on their lap, and in Arizona, Maine, and Connecticut, distracted driving laws can be used to charge drivers distracted by their pets.

Remember that even in states with no explicit laws about pets in the car, there's no state that explicitly prevents you from using your common sense to tell you that if you love your pet like a family member, treat him like one and buckle him up lest it come back to bite you.