The Tennessee Department of Safety is tasked with keeping records of convictions of the HMVO qualifying offenses.  Once the records reveal that an individual has accumulated the appropriate number of convictions (3 within 5 years or 5 within 10 years), the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety shall furnish this record to the district attorney’s office in the district where the individual either resides or may be found.

Once the district attorney’s office receives the record, they have a duty to file a petition against the individual in the court of general criminal jurisdiction.  However, a record from the TDOS is not required before a petition may be filed.  After the petition is filed, the court must issue an Order directing the individual (defendant) named in the petition to appear in court to show cause why the person should not be barred from operating a motor vehicle in Tennessee.

If, following the proper procedures and findings, the court finds that the defendant is an habitual offender, the court shall then issue an order prohibiting the defendant from operating a moron vehicle in Tennessee.  The defendant is further required to surrender his or her driver’s license once declared an Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender.  The defendant is prohibited from driving under a court restores his or her driving privileges, and in no case may this restoration occur less than three years from the initial HMVO order date.

Please visit our blog in the coming days for discussions on the steps to have driving privileges restored and the criminal penalties associated with an HMVO violation.  Should you have any questions about the Tennessee Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender law, please feel free to the Oberman and Rice Law Firm at (865) 249-7200.

A Tennessee offender may be declared by a court to be an Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender (HMVO) if convicted of certain Tennessee crimes, specifically–three or more convictions within five years or five or more convictions within ten years.  The qualifying Tennessee crimes include:

• Voluntary manslaughter resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle;
• Vehicular homicide;
• Involuntary manslaughter resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle;
• Vehicular assault;
• Improperly passing a stopped school bus;
• Leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in injury or death of any person;
• Leaving the scene of an accident that resulted only in damage to a vehicle driven or attended by any person;
• Driving under the influence (DUI);
• Aggravated vehicular homicide;
• Adult driving while impaired (Adult DWI);
• Reckless Driving;
• Drag Racing;
• Evading arrest in a motor vehicle;
• Reckless endangerment by use of a motor vehicle; or
• Driving on a cancelled, suspended, or revoked license if the underlying offense resulting in the cancellation, suspension, or revocation was vehicular assault, vehicular homicide, or DUI.

 Please visit our blog in the coming days for discussions on how to be declared an Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender, the steps to have driving privileges restored, and the criminal penalties associated with an HMVO violation.  Should you have any questions about the Tennessee Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender law, please feel free to the Oberman and Rice Law Firm at (865) 249-7200.

Tennessee has established the Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender (HMVO) Act, also often referred to as the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Habitual Offender (MVHO) Act, to provide safety for all citizens who travel upon Tennessee roadways.  The Tennessee HMVO law denies the privilege of operating motor vehicles within our state to those whose conduct and driving record demonstrate an indifference to the safety and welfare of others.  The law further serves as a deterrent to repetition of unlawful acts.

The next several posts will focus on the details of the Tennessee Habitual Motor Vehicle Offender classification. How does a motorist qualify as an HMVO offender? What penalties are associated with a Tennessee HMVO violation? How and when can the driving privileges of a Tennessee motorist who has been declared an MVHO offender be restored? Please visit our blog in the coming days and weeks as we explore the answers to these questions.

In the meantime, if you have immediate questions about the Tennessee HMVO law, please feel free to the Oberman and Rice Law Firm at (865) 249-7200.