Buckling up your dog or cat next frontier in safety, $1,000 traffic tickets

There's no activity many dogs love more than hanging their head out an open car window, but a recent revelation of a New Jersey law that makes having an unbuckled pet in your car a violation carrying up to a $1,000 fine has opened a fresh debate about how humans should drive with their best friends.

The New Jersey law appears to be the only one of its kind in the nation that explicitly requires restraining a dog or cat at all times while in a moving vehicle. A few other states have passed laws barring animals from riding in the back of pickup trucks, and three states bar drivers from letting pets ride on their laps, citing the potential for driver distraction.

Officers from the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can monitor for infractions during traffic stops or seat-belt campaigns, and issue tickets with fines ranging from $250 up to $1,000 for each unrestrained animal in a vehicle. Under the 16-year-old law, letting a pet ride unrestrained amounts to animal cruelty if the driver gets into a crash.