Florida Bill Seeks to Ban Dogs from Sticking Their Heads Outside Car Windows

The bill, filed by state Sen. Lauren Book of Broward County, aims to protect canines from the elements — and pave the way for fewer distracted drivers

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A new bill in Florida could make it illegal for dogs to stick their heads out of car windows.

Senate Bill 932, filed by state Sen. Lauren Book (D-Broward), is focused on animal welfare, including protecting dogs on public roadways. The bill seeks to achieve this goal by prohibiting pups from sticking their heads "or any other body part outside a motor vehicle window" while a person is operating the vehicle. Additionally, drivers would be banned from driving with their dogs on their laps if the bill becomes law.

Book filed the bill on Feb. 17 in an effort to protect dogs from outside elements and the possibility of escaping, according to Fox 13 Tampa Bay.

The bill also intends to keep the roads safer for all drivers.

"Having a companion animal in your lap or with their head out the window, now you're having to focus on that, you know, what's happening in front of you as opposed to paying attention to your actual surroundings and being the safest driver that you possibly can be," Brittany Livingston of Florida Voices for Animals told the station.

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Other provisions of the bill would require dogs to ride inside crates if they're being transported via truck beds. Drivers who disobey these restrictions will receive moving violation citations if Senate Bill 932 is enacted.

Book's bill also features provisions to protect cats, too.

New rules would make the declawing of cats illegal — if it is not medically necessary — and owners who unnecessarily declawed cats would face a $1,000 fine.

The proposed bill also seeks to limit cosmetic testing on animals, according to WFLA in Tampa.

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