In California you better not be caught driving and talking on your cell phone, unless wearing a headset.

But you can still take Rover for a ride on your lap and go cruising. Lapdogs are legal, big and small.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a proposal to fine drivers with animals on their laps. The governor says he only wants to sign the highest-priority bills, and this isn’t one of them.

I wouldn’t think one would need a law to tell them not to let their 150 lb.  Newfoundland sit on their lap while driving. Or any dog, because it really is dangerous for both dog and owner. However, I wouldn’t think there needs to be a sticker on a hair dryer telling people not to use in the shower, but there is.

Come to think of it, how about the  “do not use orally” warning on a toilet bowl cleaning brush, or the  sticker on the  iron box reminding us “not to iron clothes while wearing them.”  Of timely importance, since Halloween is fast approaching,  a Superman Costume with a label reminding everyone  “this garment does not enable you to fly.”

Hmmm…..maybe there is a reason for laws, even ones that appear rather frivolous.

In the following story you’ll see the importance of making sure your dog is always licensed.

OGDEN, Utah — A police dog that was left in a pickup with the engine running apparently knocked the vehicle into gear and ran down a woman who was walking to her mailbox.

Driving without a license, never a good idea. I do hope the woman will make a full recovery.

The dog, a German shepherd named Ranger, had been left in the truck while its handler responded to a domestic disturbance call Tuesday, police Lt. Loring Draper said. The truck’s engine was on so Ranger would have air conditioning.

Good for Lt. Draper,  he must have read the article Dog Days of Summer: Saftey Tips , and the importance of not leaving your dog in a hot car. Apparently he didn’t read the part about German Shepherd’s instinct for driving, particularly when they have “Autobahn on the mind”.

Draper said police were trying to determine if there might have been some malfunction that would have allowed the gear shift to be moved easily.

That’s interesting,  when my wife had an accident she also mentioned something about a “malfunction”.  I’m more inclined to think that it was user error.