Bill to ban pets from the driver seat advances

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The bill that a California lawmaker proposed that would ban motorists from holding pets on their laps while driving passed the Assembly on a 44-11 vote on Monday and now heads to the Senate, the Associated Press reports.

Assemblyman Bill Maze (R-Visalia) says his legislation has nothing to do with pet-loving celebrities, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, who are often photographed driving around Los Angeles with their small dogs.

Maze says he introduced the bill after seeing a woman driving with three dogs on her lap. He says pets are a distraction that put motorists and their passengers at risk.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta