Posted on 10/16/2012 5:29:36 AM PDT by cuban leaf
New State Law Gets Tough on Illegal Speeders NEW ‘SUPER SPEEDER LAW’ STARTS NEW YEAR WITH NEW FINES
(JANUARY 1, 2010) Georgia drivers should mark that date on their calendars and put a sticky note next to their keys.. January 1st, 2010. It’s the day the new state ‘Super Speeder Law’ goes into effect in Georgia. And any high-risk drivers who make a habit of ignoring posted speed limits will be the first to feel the pinch of higher state fines (called fees) on their wallets.
How much higher? The new law titled HB160 tacks-on another two-hundred-dollar state-fee for any driver convicted of speeding at 75-or-more on any two-lane roads.. OR convicted of speeding at 85-and-over anywhere in Georgia. Those new state fees will be in addition to any local fines already in effect in the jurisdiction where the speeding offense occurs.
Who is a SuperSpeeder? Under the provisions of this new Georgia law, any driver convicted of violating HB160 will now be classified by the state as a ‘Super Speeder’ and subject to an additional fee. The new ‘SuperSpeeder Law’ is designed to get tough on high-risk drivers who’ve been endangering other motorists and ignoring warnings to slow down. On average, there’s a speed-related death-a-day in Georgia!
The ‘SuperSpeeder Law’ established the new state fees to help police put the brakes on Georgia’s dangerous and illegal speeders. Failure to pay the ‘SuperSpeeder’ fee results in an additional $50.00 fee and the suspension of the offender’s driving privileges and license. ‘SuperSpeeder’ is a highway safety law designed to save lives on our roads by changing the way illegal speeders drive in Georgia... by slowing them down within legal limits.
And these new fees will save lives another way. Fees collected under the new ‘SuperSpeeder Law’ will be used to help fund Georgia’s trauma care hospital system where approximately sixty-percent of all trauma-care-patients are crash-related. Now for the first time, ‘SuperSpeeders’ will help pay for the hospital beds where their crash-victims are being treated.
Drivers need to remember: There are safety reasons for posted speed limits. Any time motorists drive at illegal speeds they put themselves, their passengers and others at tremendous risk. Crash forces double on impact with every ten mph increase in speed above fifty. Speed reduces the amount of available time needed to avoid a crash. Georgia’s new ‘Super Speeder Law’ and fees go into effect January 1st, 2010.
VIEW PHOTOS AND NEWS FROM ATLANTA & COMPANY INTERVIEW WITH GOHS DIRECTOR BOB DALLAS ON THE SUPER SPEEDER LAW
VIEW PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY FROM THE LATEST SUPER SPEEDER NEWS CONFERENCE IN COLUMBUS HERE
VIEW PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY FROM THE SUPER SPEEDER NEWS CONFERENCE KICKOFF IN ATLANTA HERE
LISTEN TO GOVERNOR SONNY PERDUE'S PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS ON THE SUPER SPEEDER LAW HERE (30 SECONDS) AND HERE (60 SECONDS).....
LISTEN TO THE .10 SECOND, .15 SECOND, .30 SECOND, AND .60 SECOND PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUPER SPEEDER TODAY....
A law was enacted in Georgia in 2010 called "super speeder". Interestingly, if you google news articles for "super speeder" you find not one article. However, If you search the entire internet, you find scores of people who are very, VERY angry about it.
Basically, if you pay a ticket for going 85 or over on the freeway, or 70 or over on a two lane road, after you pay the fine, the state will then send you a $200 "super speeder" ticket for admitting guilt, usually months later. It is especially hard for out of state drivers.
There are lots of comments at various sites. Here is a good starting point: http://forums.motorists.org/read.php?2,1521,2148
Some of the draconian measures the state has taken with some drivers is amazing.
In a nutshell, if you are pulled over on the freeway in GA and the officer is polite and wants to reduce the speed to 85, make sure he makes it 84. And wink.
So, where did they catch you?
This law is not about safety, it is a revenue generation law. And, they can arrest you and jail you on the super speeder violation, depending on the mood of Officer Friendly. Then, on top of the huge fines, you pay $250 tow and impound fee, and $25 a day storage.
In Texas, we have two lane roads with a 70 mph speed limit. 103 east of Lufkin for example, although it does have an additional lane on some of the hills for slower traffic.
bingo
This is nothing. In Canada, traveling 50 kph over the speed limit is punishable by a $10,000 fine, roadside seizure of your vehicle, and roadside suspension of your license.
I have to say, in my short time up there I did not encounter any aggressive drivers. I’m not saying... just saying.
So, where did they catch you?
They didn’t. :-)
My wife works at a Kentucky University “international students” group. One of her students was pulled over in GA for doing 92 in a 70 and the cop reduced it to 85. He paid the ticket and was at his wits end when, months later, he got the fine for $200. He paid it.
But some people get the notice and think it’s some sort of scam.
I read a bunch of articles about this thing and was shocked at how this law is impacting well over 100,000 drivers.
Me, I like to learn from the mistakes of others and warn my fellow freepers. :-D
Nothing more than the current day sheriff of nottingham.
Now, when the get the speed cameras up and running, this will be a conveyor belt from your bank to the state.
I guess by their inane reasoning, it is safer to pass a large vehicle on a two lane road by staying at or under the speed limit rather than passing at a higher speed and getting out of the way of incoming traffic. Right.
Just happier where I live after reading stuff like that. My daughter got caught doing 85 in a 65. The HP guy only ticketed her at 75. On about 3 occasions I’ve been caught speeding, and the excessive speed was not ticketed, but not wearing my seat belt was.
A fellow I worked with got an overnight stay at the Gray Bar thanks to this law. Of course, one time he was towing a bass boat @ 92 mph in a 45 zone. He has 3 fast driving awards since this law went into effect, and his Lawyer is tickled pink.
Don’t quote me on it but I believe in TX going 20 mph over the posted speed limit can be considered reckless endangerment and an arrestable offence.
About 20 years ago I sold a car I had fairly well restored (1966 Dodge Polaris Station Wagon) but never sent in the seller’s report of sale. I used the money to take my family to Disneyland.
When I returned I got a bill for $350 for storage. The buyer had never reported the sale and he was t-boned by the Spirit of Washington dinner train. Almost killed him.
Anyway, the car STILL sold at auction for $300, so I paid the $50 in person and requested a receipt from the towing/storage company (the one Seattle used - they had that pink “toe truck” in front of their impound lot near Lake Union) and asked the lady to write “paid in full” and sign it.
So, fast forward a few months. I get a collection notice for not paying. To make a long story short, that receipt sealed the deal.
Whenever dealing with government agencies or their private agents regarding bills you didn’t voluntarily enter into, you want to cover all your bases. The other shoe will almost certainly drop and you need tools to be able to easily dodge it.
In a very real way, I see the FedGov as the equivalent of the Soviet Union as it was described to me in grade school in the 1960’s. Some state and local governments are even worse. Though, to be honest, some are better.
I have to say, in my short time up there I did not encounter any aggressive drivers. I’m not saying... just saying.
There is a good argument for increasing the fine for more agressive driving, but the method by which it is applied should consider the impact on the life of the individual being fined.
For starters, a REGISTERED mailing should be required if the gov is going to start fining for not responding. I ended up with over $600 in fines for blowing through a few toll booths in Chicago because I failed to respond to notices I never received.
And my credit card expired without me receiving the replacement cards that had been sent out two months before. And it’s been two weeks since I let them know and I still have not received the replacement cards.
I no longer trust the USPS to get mail to me. It’s been a slow decline in confidence, but the cards not showing up was the final straw. BTW, we actually had the USPS start holding our mail for pickup a few months ago, so it’s not being stolen.
But back to your main point and where I tend to disagree: You could make the penalty for being a “super speeder” 10 years in prison. Sure, nobody would speed, but would that be the way a free country would do it. Also, if you were caught, might you be less inclined to pull over and more inclined to be featured in a “great police chases” video?
I would. But having outrun the police twice in my life (a few decades ago), my mind always goes that way. ‘Course, they didn’t have dash cam’s back then...
What a racket! Someone should challenge this law on double jeopardy grounds.
Another of Ga’s little tricks:
You are from out of state and get a traffic ticket. Never going back to Ga, so you ignore it. They find you guilty, but can not take your out of state license (no jurisdiction), so they issue you a Ga drivers license, and revoke it.
The revocation shows up next time you go to renew your license, or if stopped on another traffic violation anywhere in the country. Gets real expensive and painful to get the revocation removed.
Don’t quote me on it but I believe in TX going 20 mph over the posted speed limit can be considered reckless endangerment and an arrestable offence.
But they don’t come by, months later and after you paid the fine, to arrest you.
It’s not that the super speeder law is wrong in principle. It is the way it is administered.
What is LOTS more unfair on the face of it is the “california” right turn tickets at red light cameras in, of all places, California, that cost in excess of $400. You could come to an “almost” complete stop and roll for 10 feet, barely moving, before actually turning and you will get the ticket in the mail.
This is all about the “not knowing what you are being fined AT THE TIME” part. I hate that when dealing with the state for something like this one must live out their life worrying about some other shoe that may drop. It makes you a sort of psychological “ward of the state”.
It is not what happens to people in a free society.
I live in Georgia and don't have a problem with it. It's actually reasonable compared to Massachusetts, where they tack on a few extra dollars for every mile per hour over the speed limit so fines can run into the thousands for super speeders.
We drive to Florida 3-4 times per year down Interstate 75, about 200 miles of Georgia road. Set the cruise control at 79mph and have never been pulled over. I pass speed traps just about every trip and they don't do a thing.
Why is the Autobahn Safer than US Interstates?
The Autobahn is a world renowned highway system in Germany which is touted for its lack of speed limitations. Drivers from all over the world travel to Germany to indulge themselves in the thrill of driving at high speeds. But as you grant autobahn drivers the freedom to drive faster, won’t their safety be in jeopardy?
Not necessarily. In stark contrast to common sense the autobahn, where some drivers exceed 200 mph, is relatively safe. The fatality rate on the German autobahn is actually much lower than that observed on the US interstate system. The Economist reports that per every 100,000 people under the age of 24, in the US nearly 20 die in auto accidents compared to approximately 7 in Germany. Even with this low amount of deaths, one would assume that the "dangerous" autobahn accounted for most of the German accidents. Yet, in 2009 accidents on the autobahn accounted for less than 10%. How can this be?
http://www.thinktransatlantic4.com/2012/04/is-autobahn-safer-than-us-interstates.html
Come on out to Andres county. 75 is the norm.
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