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Colorado State Patrol Urges Drivers to Restrain Pets and Avoid Distractions During Summer Travel Season


Description: The Colorado State Patrol is reminding drivers to properly restrain pets in vehicles to prevent distractions, injuries, and crashes. Learn pet travel safety tips and how Colorado's distracted driving laws apply.

Don’t Let Your Dog Become a Distraction

Colorado State Patrol Cautions Drivers about Unrestrained Pets

(COLO) – Hiking, camping, running to the store, pets are part of the family for many Coloradoans, and often accompany their owners on the road. But how many people who travel with furry friends are putting them into a harness, a pet carrier or a crate? Any activity, like petting your dog or reaching back to give your cat a treat, that takes a driver’s attention away from driving is considered distracted driving.

In addition, a free-roaming pet can become a deadly projectile during a crash or sudden stop. Pet parents aren't practicing safety when they let their fur babies roam free in a moving vehicle.

The State of Colorado, like most states, doesn’t have an explicit law that states you must restrain your pet in a vehicle or that you are prohibited from driving with a pet in your lap. However, if your pet is obstructing your view or if you exhibit driving behaviors that would be covered under the ‘careless driving statute,” law enforcement can pull you over.

“Having your pet properly restrained is important for your pet’s safety and your own,” explains Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Even the most well-behaved dog, ferret, or cat can be a distraction. And, just like you, a pet can fly through the windshield, out an open window, or crash into the dashboard.”

If you are going on a car ride, remember to protect your pet by following these National Humane Society recommendations.

  • Pets Shouldn’t Roam – dogs should be in a crate anchored to the vehicle, and cats should be in a carrier.

  • Leave the Front Seat for Humans – airbags can cause serious injury to pets, even if they are in a carrier or crate.

  • Keep Those Heads Inside – pets can be injured by debris or made sick by cold air being forced into their lungs.

  • Don’t Leave Your Pet Alone in the Car – heat is a serious hazard, and even 70-degree temperatures can heat your car to over 100 degrees in less than an hour. And another hazard is the possibility of someone stealing your pet while you’re away.

The Colorado State Patrol is focused on curbing dangerous, avoidable driving behaviors during Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer by sharing data and tips to encourage all Colorado drivers to focus on one task: driving. Colorado’s Hands Free law went into effect on January 1, 2025. Seconds Matter, drop the distractions.