Helping Keep Our Clients Safe And Out Of Litigation 

The Jeeves Law Group has compiled some helpful, free legal resources and advice on several topics that regularly impact most people’s lives. We think you and your family will find it quite valuable to know the basic laws in these areas and how they can affect your life.

 

So take a few minutes to learn about child safety, pet laws, driving tips, and more.

Child Safety

Motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of children under the age of five in the United States. That’s why child safety seats are required by law in all 50 states and why it’s so important that you understand proper use of them.

Here are ten tips to help ensure your children’s safety.*

  • Before using any child safety seat, read both the seat’s instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual for details on how to secure the child safety seat in your vehicle.


  • The safest child safety seat is the one that correctly fits your child’s age and size, fits your vehicle, and is properly installed every time.


  • Try to get your child’s safety seat inspected by a certified technician to ensure proper installation.


  • Choose the proper type of safety seat for your child: Rear-facing seats are for infants, convertible seats are for infants and toddlers, and booster seats are for older children who aren’t big enough to use your vehicle’s safety belt.


  • According to experts, children should ride rearward-facing in the back seat of vehicles until they’re at least two years old or have reached their rear-facing child safety seat’s limits for height or weight.
  • Infant carriers should only be used rearward-facing in a vehicle. But convertible child seats can safely be used either rearward-facing or forward-facing.


  • A rear-facing infant seat should NEVER be placed in front of a passenger air bag.


  • Forward-facing child seats and convertible child seats in the forward-facing direction should be used by children over two years of age or those who have reached the limits of their rear-facing convertible child safety seat. Forward-facing child seats should be used up to the weight or height limits set by the seat manufacturer.

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  • Children above the weight or height limits for forward-facing child seats should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s standard seat belts fit properly.


  • Young kids of all ages are safest when properly restrained in your vehicle’s back seat. Even children who have outgrown a booster seat should use a seat belt in the back seat until at least age 13.
  • Before using any child safety seat, read both the seat’s instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual for details on how to secure the child safety seat in your vehicle.


  • The safest child safety seat is the one that correctly fits your child’s age and size, fits your vehicle, and is properly installed every time.


  • Try to get your child’s safety seat inspected by a certified technician to ensure proper installation.


  • Choose the proper type of safety seat for your child: Rear-facing seats are for infants, convertible seats are for infants and toddlers, and booster seats are for older children who aren’t big enough to use your vehicle’s safety belt.


  • According to experts, children should ride rearward-facing in the back seat of vehicles until they’re at least two years old or have reached their rear-facing child safety seat’s limits for height or weight.


  • Infant carriers should only be used rearward-facing in a vehicle. But convertible child seats can safely be used either rearward-facing or forward-facing.


  • A rear-facing infant seat should NEVER be placed in front of a passenger air bag.


  • Forward-facing child seats and convertible child seats in the forward-facing direction should be used by children over two years of age or those who have reached the limits of their rear-facing convertible child safety seat. Forward-facing child seats should be used up to the weight or height limits set by the seat manufacturer.


  • Children above the weight or height limits for forward-facing child seats should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s standard seat belts fit properly.

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  • Young kids of all ages are safest when properly restrained in your vehicle’s back seat. Even children who have outgrown a booster seat should use a seat belt in the back seat until at least age 13.

*Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Pet Tips & Safety

Proper pet safety starts with knowing the laws. Let’s review a few of Florida’s key pet laws you should be aware of, along with some smart suggestions, so you can help keep your pets safe and happy.

Leash Laws 

The state of Florida has no standard state wide leash laws. But each county has their own statutes and many include leash laws. Most are quite similar. In Hillsborough County, dogs or cats may not be loose on public property and may not be on another person’s private property without the property owner’s express consent. So, to avoid possible lawsuits for personal or property damages, it’s best to get written permission before allowing your pet onto someone else’s property (even if they give verbal consent). A couple other common county laws in Florida: Dogs confined to your property may not be tethered to a stake or confined unsafely; if you allow a cat to roam on your property, it must be spayed or neutered.

Owner Liability 

Under Florida law, if a dog bites a person (whether in a public place like a park, or a private place like the owner’s home) the owner of the dog is liable for all damage caused. However, any negligence on the part of the person bitten reduces the owner’s liability proportionately. Owners are also not liable if they have a “bad dog” warning sign displayed (except with regard to child victims under the age of 6). Additionally, if a dog attacks livestock owned by someone else, the owner of the dog is liable for that damage.

Traveling in a Car With Pets 

Pet stores have special safety seats and seat belts available for safely traveling in a vehicle with your pet. Not only do they keep pets safe, they can confine them to the back seat so they can’t jump into the front seat and distract you. Pet safety seats fit small to medium-size animals. Pet seat belts are better for large pets. Pet safety seats secure to the back seat of a vehicle the same way a child safety seat does. Just attach the safety harness that comes with the seat to your pet’s harness. Another good travel option is a pet travel crate that has room for pillow, water and other comforts.

Driving Tips

Travel Safer on Florida’s roadways with these handy tips.

 

When you’re on the road, you’re sharing it with lots of other vehicles, including commercial trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and school buses. The better educated everyone is about Florida’s laws concerning each of these, the safer we will all be. Above all, it’s important we each show proper respect for the other people we share the road with. Everyone has the right to be there and everyone deserves proper courtesy that goes beyond the letter of the law.

Keep Kids Safe By Following School Bus Laws

According to a Florida Department of Education survey, it’s estimated that over 3.7 million drivers illegally pass school buses each school year. Each illegal pass-by could result in a tragic injury or fatality of a student. So Florida’s departments of Education, Transportation, and Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles teamed up to develop the “Stop on Red, Kids Ahead” campaign to remind drivers of school bus laws. Drivers who improperly pass a stopped school bus commit a moving violation subject to citation and will be required to complete a basic Driver Improvement Course upon conviction.

 

Follow these basic laws the next time you approach a stopped school bus:*

 

On a two-lane road or multi-lane road other than a divided highway, vehicles in BOTH directions must stop until the bus retracts its Stop sign and resumes moving.

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On a divided highway with a raised median or barrier, all vehicles behind the bus must stop. Vehicles traveling in the opposite direction may proceed with caution.

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