Tennessee car accident leads
Summit Leads supplies car accident leads in Tennessee and every other U.S. state by real-time ping/post, exclusive by default, with ZIP code filters. The Tennessee fact that drives buying is time: injury suits generally must start within one year of the crash, as applied in Peterson v. Carey (Tenn. Ct. App. 2023).
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Tennessee facts for car accident lead buyers
| Fact | Value Source |
|---|---|
| Personal injury statute of limitations | One year (Tenn. Code 28-3-104(a)(1), applied in Peterson v. Carey, Tenn. Ct. App. 2023)Jason M. Peterson v. Jodi L. Carey, No. E2022-01656-COA-R3-CV (filed October 23, 2023) Tennessee Court of Appeals |
| Two-year extension | When criminal charges are brought and the conditions in Tenn. Code 28-3-104(a)(2) are met (as quoted in Peterson v. Carey, 2023)Jason M. Peterson v. Jodi L. Carey, No. E2022-01656-COA-R3-CV (filed October 23, 2023) Tennessee Court of Appeals |
| Municipal traffic citation | Did not extend the period in Peterson v. Carey; the one-year period applied (Tenn. Ct. App., October 23, 2023)Jason M. Peterson v. Jodi L. Carey, No. E2022-01656-COA-R3-CV (filed October 23, 2023) Tennessee Court of Appeals |
| Comparative fault | Adopted in place of contributory negligence in McIntyre v. Balentine (1992), per the Tennessee Supreme Court memorial resolution (2019)Memorial Resolution, Chief Justice Frank F. Drowota III (2019), on McIntyre v. Balentine (1992) Tennessee Supreme Court |
| Minimum liability limits | $25,000 per injury or death, $50,000 total injuries or deaths, $25,000 property damage, per accident (Tennessee Department of Revenue, as of 2026)Financial Responsibility Law Tennessee Department of Revenue |
| Insurance verification | Web-based verification of all Tennessee drivers under the James Lee Atwood Jr. Law, starting in 2017 (Tennessee Department of Revenue)Financial Responsibility Law Tennessee Department of Revenue |
| Traffic fatalities | 1,323 in 2023 (NHTSA FARS)FARS Encyclopedia: Fatalities and Fatality Rates by State NHTSA |
| Lawyer advertising and referral rules | RPC 7.1, RPC 7.3 (paragraph (f) on paying others to recommend a lawyer) and RPC 7.6; RPC 7.2 deleted and reserved (Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 8, as of 2026)Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, Rules of Professional Conduct Tennessee Supreme Court |
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026. A summary for education, not legal advice.
Fault-based claims and proof of insurance in Tennessee
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 7, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
Tennessee drivers carry liability coverage for the other people they hurt, and an injured claimant pursues the at-fault driver rather than a no-fault benefit. The Tennessee Department of Revenue (Financial Responsibility Law page, 2026) explains that the state's Financial Responsibility Law requires drivers to be financially responsible after a crash, and that an auto liability policy is the easiest way to meet it.
Since 2017, the same department says, uninsured Tennessee drivers face fines and can lose their registration if they cannot show proof of financial responsibility, with a web-based program verifying insurance for all drivers under the James Lee Atwood Jr. Law. For a lead buyer, that means the other driver's carrier is usually identifiable, and the lead form can ask for it.
One year to sue, and what a citation does not change
Tennessee gives an injured person one year. In Peterson v. Carey (Tennessee Court of Appeals, October 23, 2023), a passenger sued the driver more than one year after the crash, and the trial court applied the one-year period in Tenn. Code 28-3-104(a)(1). The Court of Appeals affirmed.
The opinion quotes the exception in section 28-3-104(a)(2): two years apply when criminal charges are brought against a person alleged to have caused the injury, the conduct is the subject of a criminal prosecution commenced within one year by a law enforcement officer, district attorney general or grand jury, and the injured person sues the party prosecuted. The defendant in Peterson (2023 opinion text) had been cited under a Kingsport municipal traffic ordinance, and the one-year period still applied. Subsection (a)(3) says the subsection is to be strictly construed.
Fault is compared, not a complete bar. The Tennessee Supreme Court memorial resolution for Chief Justice Drowota (2019) describes McIntyre v. Balentine (1992) as the case in which the court abandoned contributory negligence and adopted comparative fault. In a 2026 premises case, Tennessee Court of Appeals, No. M2025-01009-COA-R3-CV (2026), the Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment where the trial court found the plaintiff at least fifty percent responsible.
Buyers filterFilterA rule that decides which leads a buyer is offered, based on fields such as vertical, sub-type, state, ZIP code, homeownership or accident details. Glossary on accident date because a Tennessee lead ages out fast, and on fault and charging details because they show both the claimant's share of fault and whether the two-year exception could be in play.
The minimum policy a Tennessee driver must carry
The Tennessee Department of Revenue (2026) lists the required minimum limits of liability car insurance as $25,000 for each injury or death per accident, $50,000 for total injuries or deaths per accident, and $25,000 for property damage per accident. Vehicles with commercial plates must be covered under a commercial auto policy, which matters for truck and work vehicle claims.
Tennessee crash deaths in the federal count
In the NHTSA FARS state table, Tennessee recorded 1,323 traffic fatalities in 2023, the latest year treated here as final. FARS covers fatal crashes only.
Tennessee's professional conduct rules on ads, solicitation and paid referrals
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 7, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
Tennessee publishes its Rules of Professional Conduct as Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8. Tennessee has deleted and reserved RPC 7.2, so the payment topic sits elsewhere:
- RPC 7.1, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services.
- RPC 7.3, Solicitation of Clients. Paragraph (f), headed Paying Others to Recommend a Lawyer, bars giving anything of value to a non-employee "for the purpose of recommending or securing the services of the lawyer," with listed exceptions.
- RPC 7.6, Intermediary Organizations, which covers lawyer referral services, matching services and online marketing platforms.
Comment [10] to RPC 7.3 addresses payments to lead generators by name. This page lists the rules only and does not say whether any lead program meets them; that is for the buying firm and its counsel.
What buyers in Tennessee filter on
Tennessee orders tend to be strict on timing first. The usual fields, each tied to a source above:
- Accident date: the main filter under the one-year period in section 28-3-104(a)(1).
- Charges or citations issued: the starting point for whether the (a)(2) exception could apply.
- Fault answers: the claimant's likely share under comparative fault.
- Injury and treatment: what a firm reviews before deciding to file quickly.
- Representation status: screens out claimants with a lawyer.
- ZIP code: buyers pick the ZIP codes their firms cover.
Where buyers filter in Tennessee
Four of Tennessee's six largest metro areas cross a state line, so whole-metro totals are shown for those. Rankings use the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimates; a buyer's filter can include any Tennessee ZIP code in or outside these areas.
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: 2,197,416 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- Memphis (TN-MS-AR): 1,341,412 (July 1, 2025 estimate, whole metro area)
- Knoxville: 968,137 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- Chattanooga (TN-GA): 594,530 (July 1, 2025 estimate, whole metro area)
- Clarksville (TN-KY): 349,001 (July 1, 2025 estimate, whole metro area)
- Kingsport-Bristol (TN-VA): 314,834 (July 1, 2025 estimate, whole metro area)
Source: Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area population estimates, Vintage 2025 (cbsa-est2025-alldata), U.S. Census Bureau.
Consent records for Tennessee car accident leads
A one-year deadline means Tennessee leads are often called the day they arrive, and each one carries its TCPATCPAThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the federal law that governs telemarketing calls and texts, autodialers, prerecorded voice messages and the Do Not Call Registry. Glossary consent record for that call. Check Tennessee's line in the state telemarketing laws table before dialing or texting, and see leads in Tennessee for the combined MVA and home improvement page.
Tennessee car accident lead questions
Does a traffic ticket give a Tennessee claimant two years instead of one?
Not by itself. In Peterson v. Carey (Tenn. Ct. App. 2023), the defendant had a municipal traffic citation and the one-year period in Tenn. Code 28-3-104(a)(1) still applied. This is general information, not legal advice.
What liability limits does Tennessee require on a passenger vehicle?
The Tennessee Department of Revenue (2026) lists $25,000 per injury or death, $50,000 total injuries or deaths, and $25,000 property damage, per accident.
Where do Tennessee's ethics rules address paying for a lawyer recommendation?
In RPC 7.3(f) of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, with intermediary organizations covered in RPC 7.6. Tennessee's RPC 7.2 is deleted and reserved. This is general information, not legal advice.
What 2023 fatality count does FARS give for Tennessee?
NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System records 1,323 for Tennessee in 2023.
Request Tennessee car accident leads
Email us the Tennessee ZIP codes you cover, your daily volume or caps and how you take delivery. ReturnReturnA buyer's request for credit on a lead that fails agreed standards, such as a disconnected number, a duplicate or a lead outside the filters. Glossary terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
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