Tennessee Speeding Ticket

[dvm1231]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? TN

I was pulled over today on a state highway going 76 mph. I thought the speed limit was 55 or 60 mph, but apparently it was FORTY! I had no idea. The cop gave me a ticket for $131, and did not mark reckless driving on my ticket, as it was genuinely a mistake - I had no idea the speed limit was so low. He said I can appear in court to request driving school, but I am worried the judge will not be as understanding, and I have trouble getting off of work to go to court. Should I just pay the ticket in the mail since it is only $131? Or will the DMV/insurance companies see how fast I was going and misunderstand? HELP!

 

[HighwayMan]

...as it was genuinely a mistake - I had no idea the speed limit was so low.

No one is going to buy that. I'm sure you passed at least one clearly posted speed limit sign advising motorists what the speed limit was. If you paid no attention to it that's no one's fault but yours.

 

[commentator]

In most TN counties, if you go to court with a speeding ticket, and you plead guilty, and you have NOT had a speeding ticket before, within say the last year or six months, etc. they will give you a suspended sentence, and provided you do not get another ticket within the next so many months in the same county, this ticket is dropped. Or else they'll say you can pay a reduced rate and go to traffic school in that county and it will not show up on your record. If you want to go to court, not to plead guilty, but to argue with them, in ANY way, make excuses, protest, complain that you were not treated fairly, then there is NO leniency. They will want you to retain an attorney, will probably reschedule you so that you have to come back to court again later, and in many cases after you've done all that will still find you guilty (and your circumstances are almost guaranteed to be a find-you-guilty situation, regardless of your unawareness, your good intentions, what the law enforcement person did or did not put on the ticket.)

If I were you, I'd take the time off, go to court, plead guilty when they do the "cattle call" of everyone who is there for a speeding ticket, and let them tell you what will happen. Plead guilty. You are. I have gotten several speeding tickets in Tennessee in my time, have known many people who have gotten speeding tickets in many counties in Tennessee and can tell you that I have never seen one work well for the person who wanted to show up in court and argue. And if you just send in the money and pay it, it WILL be considered reckless driving by your insurance company if it was that much over the speed limit, whether the cop put that on the ticket or not.