Can you get a ticket for driving with a pet in your lap (or in the truck bed) in NC?
For most pets, car rides provide an opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy some quality time with their owners.
But an easily excitable pet can become a distraction while driving.
In these cases, using leashes or cages can help keep energetic pets under control and ensure your focus remains on the road.
But does North Carolina have a rule that prevents your pets from sitting in your lap in the car, or riding in the bed of your truck? Here’s what state law says.
Can you drive with a pet in your lap in NC?
Pets like dogs and cats do not have to be restrained in North Carolina, so you can’t get a ticket for driving with them in your lap, Master Trooper Christopher Casey with N.C. State Highway Patrol told The Charlotte Observer.
But state law requires them not to be distractions while riding in a vehicle, according to Wilmington-based Woody White Law Firm.
“Drivers also need to realize that animals become flying projectiles in the event of a rear-end collision or a rollover, which could result in severe injuries to the animal or people in the car,” Casey said.
A bill introduced in the N.C. House that would have made it illegal for anyone to drive with a live animal in their lap was withdrawn in 2017, The News & Observer previously reported.
Rep. Garland Pierce, a Democrat from Scotland County who introduced the bill, said some pet owners didn’t like it, and he also heard from a group of military veterans who told him some vets travel with service animals who can detect signs of a stroke. The animals have to be kept close while driving.
Can dogs ride in the back of pickup trucks in NC?
Since there are no state laws that require pets to be restrained in cars, dogs are permitted to ride in the back of pickup trucks, and you can’t be ticketed for it, Casey said.
Rep. Grier Martin, a Democrat from Wake County, introduced a bill that would make it illegal for dogs to be transported in the back of pickup trucks last year, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. The bill stalled in the house.
While only six states have laws that ban the transport of pets in truck beds, according to Michigan State University’s Animal Legal & Historical Center, data show the practice can be unsafe for dogs.
Thousands of dogs in the U.S. die every year while riding in truck beds, either from wrecks or jumping out of vehicles traveling at high speeds, according to MotorBiscuit, an online resource for automobile information.
This story was originally published August 14, 2024 at 9:12 AM with the headline "Can you get a ticket for driving with a pet in your lap (or in the truck bed) in NC?."
