Getting a speeding ticket in Nevada can be a difficult experience. You might find that you don’t know the next step to take. This could be true whether you are a resident or Nevada, or you are an out of state driver visiting Las Vegas or some other place. For this reason, I’ve created this post. Here, you can learn about the common speed limits in Nevada, penalties for breaking the speed limit, and what to do next.
Speeding Laws in Nevada
In many states, there is a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to the speed limit. Many times, a police officer won’t pull you over if you drive 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit. This is not the case in Nevada. The state of Nevada follows an absolute speed limit law. This means that if the speed limit is 50 miles per hour, and you drive 51 miles per hour, you could get pulled over and charged with speeding.
There are also general speed limit laws in this state. One is that no one can operate any type of motor vehicle over the speed of 75 miles per hour. This is the case no matter where you drive in the state. There is another law that say that no one can operate any motor vehicle more than 15 miles per hour when they drive in a school zone. Finally, a law says that no one can drive more than 25 miles per hour when in a school crossing area.
Speeding Penalties
In Nevada, a first time offender of the speeding laws may face:
- A fine not to exceed $1,000.
- A license suspension not to last longer than one year.
- A jail sentence of no more than six months.
In addition, speeding could result in having points assessed against your license. The following speeding violations carry point assessments:
- Speeding 1-9 miles per hour over the speed limit – one point.
- Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit – two points.
- Speeding 16-19 miels per hour over the speed limit – three points.
- Speeding more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit in a commercial motor vehicle – four points.
- Speeding 1-14 miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone – four points.
- Speeding more than 21 miles per hour over the speed limit – four points.
- Speeding more than 16 miles per hour in a school zone – six points.
- Reckless driving – eight points.
If you accumulate 12 points against your license in a 12 month period, the DMV will suspend your license for six months. If you accumulate an additional 12 points in the following three years, your license will get suspended for a year. If you accumulate another 12 points within a five year period, your license will be suspended for another year.
Protecting Yourself
These are serious penalties, which means that you need to take the charge seriously. But, keep in mind that many people who get speeding tickets do not face the maximum penalties. To make sure that you don’t face the maximum penalties, you should contact an attorney. For more information on your particular speeding situation, please contact me. I can walk you through this process and give you the resources that you need.