Remember to always buckle up -- even your furry babies!

New Jersey is cracking down on yet another rule that you need to keep in mind while you are out and about on the roads.

The SPCA and Motor Vehicle Commission have just announced that the "click it or ticket" rule will now apply to cats and dogs as well.

If you are caught with your pet in the car and they are not properly restrained, you could receive a ticket that will cost between $250 to $1,000! You could also spend up to six months in jail! Yowza!

But keep in mind that having your pet hanging their head out of the window, curling up on the driver's lap, and riding in the back of the truck are ticket-able offenses.

They are not messing around but it is understandable why. Letting your pet roam loosely around your car violates the animal cruelty law. Think about it. They say if someone does not have their seatbelt buckled and then they get into a car crash, they could go flying and who knows what else.

This rule does make sense but what doesn't make sense is that New Jersey is the only state thus far with any types of ruled related to pets and car safety like this.

For dogs, there are harnesses that owners should get that click into seatbelts and cats need to be placed in a carrier that is also buckled down.

"We are not actively cruising the roadways of New Jersey looking to write people up," said SPCA spokesman Mike Stanton. "Just be sensitive to the safety of the animal and your own safety when you have the animal in your car."

Stay safe out there.

Check out the original article at NyDaily.com.

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