You don't need to be Einstein to realize that a dog running loose in a moving automobile is a traffic hazard. However, as this article points out, there's been little legislative action to curb the practice, mostly because no statistics are kept on pets being involved in car accidents. While the media is quick to mention alcohol when it's present in any driving incident, and statistics on impaired driving are meticulously kept and publicized, pets and car accidents are a statistical mystery.
There are several aspects to this situation. First, how considerate of a loved dog is it to allow it to ride around like the one in the picture? Sane people don't let their kids hang out the car window as they weave through traffic.
Second, no one can predict the behavior of a dog or any other animal. A driver can't know what the response of a dog might be to any stimulus and that response could easily jeopardize not only the dog and driver but other drivers and passengers.
It would be nice to be able to think that supposedly intelligent people would realize that a German Shepherd cavorting around in the Prius, or even a Pekinese in the Escalade, has the potential to bring much heartache into someone's life. Of course, that would be wishful thinking.
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