Here it is: the car that can save animals' lives:

New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), a group that has been working with PETA to free the horses who are forced to pull carriages on New York City's streets, commissioned a car designer to build a replica of a classic car that tourists could ride in instead. The result is a charming Gatsby-era "horseless carriage" inspired by the 1909 Pierce-Arrow and Packard. Designer Jason Wenig wanted people to feel transported, so his model includes romantic features, such as a stereo system, that aren't available in horse-drawn carriages. The re-envisioned classic car is also eco-friendly.

NYCLASS, PETA, and the New York City Council members who agree that too many horses have already died on New York's streets are pushing the city to allow one of the cars to begin offering tours on a trial basis. Israel recently paved the way by banning "any vehicle drawn by an animal" from operating on urban roads—the dangerous, congested streets of New York City are no place for horse-drawn vehicles, either.

Please urge the entire City Council to support the use of these lifesaving cars.

Update: After this latest tragic horse-drawn carriage accident, New York native Adrien Brody has thrown his support behind PETA's campaign to get horses off New York City's streets. The Academy Award–winning actor wrote to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on PETA's behalf urging her to adopt the proposed pilot program to replace the carriages with eco-friendly replicas of classic cars. You can read Adrien's letter here.

Originally posted August 19:

Yet another scary incident involving a horse occurred in Manhattan last week as Oreo, a horse forced to pull carriages around Central Park, panicked at the chaotic automotive traffic at Columbus Circle and fled down Broadway, overturning the carriage, which contained the driver and two passengers. Shocked onlookers—including Soledad O'Brien of CNN—watched as the carriage struck an object, splitting in two. Oreo was finally restrained and tranquilized by the police.

In addition to the public danger that crashes like this pose, as PETA has often pointed out in its campaign to help New York City's horses, it's simply cruel to make horses pull heavy loads on hard pavement in all kinds of weather, dodging loud traffic and inhaling exhaust fumes. Celebrities—including Martina Navratilova, Pink, Kristen Johnston, and Lea Michele—have offered their support for PETA's campaign to get these anguished animals off the mean streets of Gotham.

What You Can Do

It's high time for the horse-drawn carriage industry to be put out to pasture permanently. Please join PETA in asking City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to support a bill seeking to replace the carriages with eco-friendly classic cars.