DUI/DWI

KNOXVILLE DUI DEFENSE LAWYERS

Strategic Defense Team

If you or your loved one have been arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), we recommend seeking a defense team that is experienced with Knox County and Tennessee DUI cases.

A DUI or DWI conviction in Tennessee can result in considerable penalties. For instance, if you plead guilty or are convicted of DUI, Tennessee requires mandatory jail time for first-time offenders.

Our DUI defense team is ready to help you.

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Tennessee DUI/ DWI Laws

If a law enforcement officer believes you are driving erratically or have violated traffic laws, they may pull you over and ask you to take a field sobriety test. They may also request a breathalyzer or blood test.

You can refuse a breathalyzer or blood test with some consequences.

Key insights on Tennessee implied consent law

Tennessee’s implied consent law states that drivers in the state on public roads automatically agree to submit to a test if suspected of DUI. If a police officer has probable cause to believe that a driver is operating a vehicle under the influence, committed the offense of vehicular assault, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular homicide, or aggravated vehicular homicide, refusal to submit to a blood or breathalyzer test will result in a suspension of the driver’s license. However, the police officer must comply with strict procedures before your license can be suspended.

Even if you failed a field sobriety test, there are still things that can be done to contest your conviction in court. The test may have been compromised, or law enforcement may not have had probable cause to pull you over in the first place.

Understanding penalties for DUI in Tennessee

The penalties for even first-time DUI offenders in Tennessee are strict. Every conviction comes with mandatory jail time, the length of which depends on the severity of the offense. If a child under 18 years of age was in the car, a 30-day mandatory minimum incarceration sentence is added as an enhancement. Fines and license suspensions are usually added to the penalties as well.

DUI penalties in Tennessee may include:

• First-time offense: Minimum of 48 hours in jail and $350 fine; seven days in jail if blood alcohol content (BAC) was .2 or higher. The maximum penalty can include up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and $1,500 in fines. Your license also will be revoked for one year.
• Second offense: If you have a previous DUI conviction, you will be subject to a minimum 45-day jail sentence and $600 fine. Maximum penalties include a jail sentence of 11 months and 29 days and up to $3,500 in fines. Your license also will be revoked for two years.
• Third offense: Third DUI conviction includes a minimum 120-day jail sentence and $1,100 fine with a maximum of up to 11 months and 29 days in jail time and up to $10,000 in fines. Your license will be revoked for six years.
• Fourth offense: From the fourth offense and onward, the crime becomes a felony. The minimum jail sentence is 150 days with up to six years in prison (or up to 15 years after the sixth offense) and a minimum $3,000 fine, as well as an eight-year license revocation.

You need a diligent DUI defense team.