The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has online the driver's handbook for TX. Here it states that the DPS has the authority to suspend/revoke the driver license or driving privilege of a minor, after a proper hearing, for the following reasons:
- failure to appear or default in payment of a fine for a traffic or a non traffic violation
- repeated violations of traffic laws such as:
- 2 or more convictions for moving violations occurring separately within any 12-month period for a driver who has a provisional driver license;
- 1 or more convictions for a moving violation if the driver holds a 60-day hardship (Minor’s Restricted Driver License) license.
It does not appear that this one speeding ticket will get your license suspended as long as you pay the fine for the traffic offense and do not receive another moving violation within the next 12 months whole you have your provisional license.
To find out the fine amount and what other penalties may be associated with your speeding citation for 30 mph over the posted speed limit contact the court listed on the ticket. You may see if deferred adjudication is available to you as a 16 year old or not.
We have read that due to Texas SB 1005 (which went into effect as of September 1, 2005) younger drivers will now have a harder time getting traffic violations removed from their motor vehicle record. This Senate Bill that was signed into law relates to the suspension of sentence and the deferral of final disposition for a defendant younger than 25 in certain misdemeanor traffic cases.
This TX law now provides that if a driver younger than 25 years of age commits a traffic offense classified as a moving violation, the judge must require the driver to complete a driving safety course and, if the driver holds a provisional driver license (under 18 years of age), submit to a DPS road test. Failure by the driver to meet this requirement will result in a final conviction for that traffic offense instead of an adjudication.
The clerk of the court for the jurisdiction you received the ticket in should be able to give you more information and tell you if adjudication is possible to keep this ticket off your record and what penalties you may face as a minor with speeding 30 mph over the limit.