Most Recent Blog Entries

Stay Back From the Yellow and Black!

Passing a school bus that is stopped and showing flashing lights and / or stop signs is a punishable offense in Florida. The reasons for the statute is just plain common sense and this week, Manatee County will celebrate School Bus Safety Week.

The safety events being planned will involve a number of activities that will try and highlight the dangers to schoolchildren of drivers who pass a school bus when it is stopped, usually to allow children on or off the bus.

The school bus service performs a vital role right across the United States and transports millions of our children safely to and from school every day. In Manatee County alone, 166 buses are involved, carrying 16,000 children and traveling over 20,000 miles a day. One of the commonest complaints from bus drivers is the number of drivers who are either unaware of the regulations or continue to flout them, passing buses when children are moving around and endangering their lives.

Manatee County’s Bus Safety Week is honoring its school bus drivers with a donut and coffee day. At the same time, the operators will wear yellow and black – the same colors as the buses they drive.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway patrol and state transport department personnel will be stepping up operations on and around school buses in order to enforce traffic regulations.…

Dangers of Distracted Driving

Driving while distracted can take many different forms. The most commonly known distraction for driving is that of texting or checking email while driving. There are many other sources of distraction that can lead to a a serious injury or fatal accident including interaction with passengers and even fiddling with the radio.

Various studies have shown that texting while driving or emailing while driving can be almost as dangerous as being under the influence of alcohol while behind the wheel. A distracted driver, one who takes his eyes off the road gives up a safety cushion which can make all the difference in the world. The longer the distraction the greater the danger.

Checking a text message or sending a message can give away up to five car lengths of safety cushion just by taking your eyes off the road at highway speeds.

This dilemma is one that has come upon us in the last 10 years with the availability of smart phones and the Internet in your pocket. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that in 2010 alone over 3000 people were killed and distracted driving car accidents. That number increased in 2011 and is expected to be higher in 2012.…

Expired Vehicle Registration Issues In Sarasota

Doesn’t it seem like every time you pay a bill another more expensive one comes in the mail? Such is life. One bill you get in the mail every year as a Sarasota driver is the renewal fees associated with your vehicle registration. And that is one bill you do not want to ignore!

Expired vehicle registration and no vehicle registration at all are the two big issues that we see individuals in Sarasota dealing with on a regular basis. Although this may seem more like an administrative chore than anything else, if you drive with expired vehicle registration in Sarasota or did not bother to register your car at all, you could be facing potential jail time for this offense.

Here’s a quick look at some of the penalties associated with driving with expired vehicle registration in Sarasota:

If it has been less than six months since your registration expired and this has not happened to you before, you will receive a moving violation (noncriminal in nature). This is the state’s way of being nice to you and giving you a chance to make this obligation up. Of course you are still responsible for any tickets you received for an having expired registration and it is likely that the fees to renew your registration went up as well.

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How an Attorney Can Help You Fight Your Traffic Ticket

Here’s an obvious conclusion for you: traffic tickets are no fun. When you are pulled over and cited with a traffic ticket in Florida, you have three basic options on how to proceed: pay the ticket, ignore the ticket or fight the ticket. Unfortunately, many Florida drivers are unaware that fighting a traffic ticket is an option and even less aware of the benefits of working with an attorney on your tickets. And to clarify—ignoring a traffic ticket of any kind is never a good idea. Same holds true for any type of notice dealing with the Florida civil or criminal justice system.

The reality is that traffic tickets can have a much more reaching effect than simply putting a dent in your bank account. Multiple tickets within a given time frame can serve to drive up your insurance premiums significantly, add points to your Florida driving record and ultimately cause you to have your license revoked or suspended for a given period of time. Even minor traffic offenses, if repeated too many times, can have serious implications on your ability to drive.

So how can an attorney help you with your Florida traffic ticket? Here’s a look at some of the things we can help you with when it comes to your traffic tickets:

Evaluate the ticket
Explain the process
Review your driving record
Represent you in court

More than just arguing your side of why you should not have received the ticket, an attorney’s job begins well before you go before a judge.…

Road Rage Can Also Get You Arrested

We all experience those frustrating moments when another car cuts you off or a driver does something that is not only breaking the law but breaking your tolerance. Commonly known as road rage, drivers that experience uncontrollable anger towards another driver can also get in big trouble with the Florida police. Whether you experience this type of rage every once in a while, or it is a daily occurrence during your commute, here’s a look at how road rage can also get you arrested in Florida:

– Distracted driving: giving the other driver the finger, tailgating or driving in a way to annoy the other driver can actually get you in trouble with the law. While you are trying to “get back” at the other driver you are also – taking your eyes and attention off the road. Distracted driving can come in many forms: talking on the phone, putting makeup on and now let’s add road rage to the list. Trying to get back at the offensive driver may ultimately leave you with a costly traffic ticket to deal with.
– Assault: Have you seen the scenario in which two drivers are so enraged at each other that they actually pull over to duke it out?…

What Happens After You Refuse A DUI Test In Sarasota?

Can I still drive after the police take my license away? Am I going to jail? How much will a Sarasota DUI cost me? These are just some of the DUI questions we hear from our clients everyday when it comes to the penalties and procedures they may deal with following a Sarasota DUI arrest. One of the more immediate questions we hear from clients has to do with the actual DUI testing process. Many drivers are overwhelmed and intimidated by the police and the DUI process and refuse to take a DUI test. Doing so may be an impulse decision but unfortunately comes with additional consequences.

To answer this important DUI question, the first thing you should know about has to do with Sarasota implied consent laws. When you first got your Florida drivers license, you probably did not realize all the paperwork you were signing. Why would you? You were probably young and excited to get on the road! One of the items you agreed to in signing for your license was the very DUI tests your just refused. This is a reality that many individuals have no idea of until they are unfortunate enough to get pulled over for a DUI in Sarasota.…

Speeding in Sarasota: The Various Ways Police Catch You

The police in Sarasota are serious about catching speeders. Whether you are driving five miles over the speed limit or much more than that, Sarasota police have many ways to catch you in the act. In fact, police have at least four different ways they can catch you speeding. Here’s a look at the various ways Sarasota police measure speed:

Pace: Like the name implies, a police car will “pace” off of a driver for a given period of time in order to determine how fast he or she is going. This basic type of measurement is an easy way for undercover police officers to drive alongside a driver without him or her ever realizing it!
Radar: A radar can be used by a police officer from the side of the road (in a stationary position) or while the officer is driving (in a moving position). Because of the versatility and relative accuracy of a radar, Sarasota officers always seem to have their radar handy.
Laser: Perhaps the most accurate speed measuring device currently employed by Sarasota police, the laser is used in the stationary mode usually from the side of the road.
Aircraft/Helicopter Clock: Operated by Florida Highway Patrol pilots, the pilot will use a certified stopwatch to clock time how fast you get from one point to another.

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Tips To Avoid Florida Traffic Tickets

Florida traffic tickets are not only expensive but can also cost you your driver’s license if you get too many in a certain period of time. Additionally, these slips of paper can cause your insurance premiums to go up or cause you to get dropped from your insurance entirely. On the reverse end, having a clean (or mostly clean) driving record actually leads to sizeable discounts on your insurance premiums every year. With that in mind, we thought it would be helpful to provide some tips on how you can avoid Florida traffic tickets. Here’s our top four:

Know the speed limit: Have a lead foot? Then this tip especially applies to you! The easiest way to avoid a costly speeding ticket is to know the speed limit on the roads you are driving on! Speed limits can change quickly, and so should your speed if you want to avoid a ticket. This is especially true if you are driving near schools, construction zones or residential areas.
Look for Police: With the expectation of undercover vehicles, you already know what local police and highway patrol cars look like. Make looking out for the very cars that will issue you a ticket part of your driving routine.

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Divine Direction: Florida Woman Ticketed for Driving 70 mph Over the Speed Limit as Taking Her Orders From the Lord

A woman was clocked doing 100 miles per hour in Fort Pierce, Florida. When police finally got her to pull over, the woman explained that the Lord was guiding her. She was taken into police custody and released on $375 bail. However, she now faces charges for reckless driving and for violating her probation by leaving the scene of an accident with injuries that are unrelated to her speeding incident. While “the Lord made me do it” is an original defense, it does raise questions of the legal procedures that should follow such a claim.

The Facts of the Case

The incident occurred at approximately 1 a.m. while she was on U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce. Police observed the defendant driving a silver Toyota erratically. She was also blasting the vehicle’s horn. The police report indicates that the woman was driving 100 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone. When the police attempted to pull her over, the woman sped up. When they were ultimately successful in pulling the vehicle over, they asked her why she was going so fast. The woman responded that she was letting the Lord’s spirit guide her. When the police officers asked why she was honking her horn for a long duration, she replied that the Lord was telling her to do it.

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Traffic Congestion in Florida: Options to Move Traffic Faster

Millions of tourists flood Florida roadways every year, in addition to the number of residents that drive to work, school and for recreational purposes. This influx of traffic has led to the creation of multiple traffic problems throughout the state. Several solutions are being posed to Florida lawmakers to help combat these problems, but some of the solutions may not be completed until years from now when congestion problems will likely be worse.

Current Congestion Problems in the State

There are multiple areas in the state that battle congestion problems. The findings from a recent study will be released to the County Commission for the Florida Keys that details information about several congested areas in the state. In particular, the area from Lower Matecumbe Key north to Upper Matecumbe Key suffers from frequent congestion problems. U.S. 1 is also problematic. The average speed on this roadway is 47 miles per hour, according to the URS Corp. report that was presented to the Monroe County Commission. The report also indicates that average travel speeds have deteriorated in 18 out of 24 road-study segments.

Considerations to Improve Traffic Congestion

City and state governments are in the process of considering multiple ways to improve the traffic conditions in the area.

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