Are you a Georgia resident who drives 85? You might want to think again. New Year’s Day has been a symbolic day of change for countless people, so it is a fitting day for Georgia to begin its own New Year’s resolution. That resolution, as many Georgians have no doubt already noticed, is to crack down on recklessly speeding drivers.
And that resolution takes the form of new Super Speeders law.
The new law is officially titled HB160, and it works by leveling additional fees on “Super Speeders” – speeders convicted of driving 75 mph or above on two lane roads, or 85 mph or above anywhere in the state. This additional fee is a state level fine, and to be paid on top of whatever existing fines drivers would have paid in the jurisdiction in which they were caught.
At $200, this fee is nothing to shrug off. Georgia law enforcement is serious about getting the message across to high risk speeders.
Under the new law, any driver who violates HB160 will be labeled a “Super Speeder,” and be subject the additional fees. Beyond that, failing to pay the state fees for breaking the Super Speeder law will result in an additional $50 dollar fine as well as a suspension of the offending speeder’s driver’s license.
The new law is only the newest weapon in Georgia’s ongoing battle against dangerous and illegal speeders. High speed accidents kill an average of one person a day in Georgia. By going after speeders’ wallets, law makers hope to save lives by changing how Georgians drive.
It is important to remember that no matter what kind of hurry a driver is in, speed limits are posted for a reason. They are for the safety of motorists, their passengers, and those who they share the road with – cyclists, pedestrians, and other drivers. When a driver speeds illegally, they are putting all of those people at additional risk.
The Super Speeder law also hopes to save lives in one other important way. The additional state fees paid by this new class of illegal speeders will help fund Georgia’s trauma care hospital system.
Approximately 60% of patients who receive care in the trauma care system suffer from crash related injuries. The theory is that now illegal speeders can help pay for their victims’ treatment, at least indirectly.
The framers of this new law and their allies would like to encourage Georgia drivers to slow down, relax, and reach their destination safely, and as a lawyer who deals with the consequences of the kind of accidents the Super Speeder law hopes to prevent on a regular basis, it would be difficult to say that I don’t understand their inclination. It is my hope that in the New Year, Georgia drivers take this lesson to heart and reduce their speeds to safer levels.
If you have been injured by a dangerously speeding driver, contact an experienced Georgia accident lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights. For legal advice, call MLN Law at 404-531-9700 to schedule a free consultation.