Do You Drive With A Dog On Your Lap?

In Tennessee the state legislature is about to pass a law barring pets from drivers' laps.  At first I thought, how big a problem could this be?  Also thought of the stereotype of the elderly driver who can barely see over the steering wheel with a jaunty cap on his head and a poodle in his lap.  Then I started looking this up and it turns out a New York Times article claims 8% of Americans do this regularly.  8%?!?

So now I have to know.