Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

Tennessee Lawyers understand that almost everyone who drives will speed at one time or another. There are very few drivers who can truthfully claim that they have never gone in excess of the speed limit during their lifetime. There are all types of different drivers on Tennessee’s roadways. Some drivers speed daily and never get caught. Others rarely speed and are normally cautious, but get an unlucky speeding ticket on a bad day. Drivers seem to know that a point system exist for driving behavior in Tennessee, but do not seem to know exactly what it is. So how does a speeding ticket affect your drivers license?

Tennessee follows the Problem Driver Pointer System program created by the federal government. Point systems are created to help monitor and promote safety on the road. The way it works in Tennessee is that all drivers start out with zero points on their driving record. You will accrue points on your driving record based upon the offense committed. Points may be charged toward your driving record for speeding, accidents, and moving traffic violations. The severity of the offense determines how many points will be added. If you gain 12 points within a 12 month period, then you should expect to receive a proposed suspension letter from the state. You will normally get a warning if you have 11 points applied toward your driving record. The following list displays how many points a speeding offense will cost you on your Tennessee license:

Where speed not indicated (3 points) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . construction zone (4 points)
1 thru 5 m.p.h. in excess of speed zone (1 point) . . . . . construction zone (2 points)
6 thru 15 m.p.h. in excess of speed zone (3 points) . . . construction zone (6 points)
16 thru 25 m.p.h. in excess of speed zone (4 points) . . construction zone (7 points)
26 thru 35 m.p.h. in excess of speed zone (5 points) . . . construction zone (7 points)
36 thru 45 m.p.h. in excess of speed zone (6 points) . . . construction zone (8 points)
46 m.p.h. and above in excess of speed zone (8 points). . construction zone (8 points)

If you receive a speeding ticket in Tennessee, be careful before you simply pay the fine. You should understand that paying the fine means that you are essentially pleading guilty to the offense of speeding. You should expect that points will be charged according to the above chart. Our Tennessee speeding ticket lawyers handle speeding tickets in the Knoxville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg area and can help provide a satisfactory resolution.