Do Your Dogs Need To Buckle Up While Driving in New Jersey?

Most people put their pets as their first priority. There’s something about your family dog or cat that just consumes people’s lives and as an animal person myself, it’s easy to see why.

Our pets are loving and compassionate and love us unconditionally, which is why 9 times out of 10 we bend over backward for them.

Sometimes I look at the things I let my dog get away with like being tucked into bed or fluffing his plush bed so it’s nice and comfortable and I think to myself “What am I doing?”.

If you have a furry friend, you know you’re more likely to get annoyed by the humans living in your house than them. Everyone who owns a pet shares a special bond with them and it’s our mission to keep them safe and make them happy!

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Something that sometimes gives me anxiety is when I’m driving with my dog. He loves to stand on the seat, look out the window, and see all the cars drive by.

While it’s so adorable to watch him experience that, I’m always afraid of getting into an accident with my pup in the car.

I bought this little seat belt that clicks into the seat belt hook and also clips to his collar, but is this a necessity for pet owners in New Jersey?

I was curious if this was my going overboard or is this was a rule that we didn’t know we needed to follow.

Do Dogs Have To Be Buckled While Driving in New Jersey?

There aren’t specific laws in New Jersey mandating that pets wear a seat belt while in the car, but drivers are required to make sure their pets are safe while in a moving vehicle.

New Jersey Statues Annotated 4:22-18 says, that carrying an animal in a harmful or cruel manner is considered to be a disorderly persons offence and you can get a fine of $250 – $1000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months.

Now, if you get pulled over and your dog isn’t buckled are you going to jail? Probably not. That being said though, make sure you’re not putting your pets in an unsafe situation.