Super Speeder

Super Speeder

I live in Florida. If we want to drive to any other state, the most direct route touches our neighbor to the north, Georgia. In that state, as of January 1, 2010, a law was enacted dubbed “The Super Speeder Law”. The following is a true story as told to me by a friend, who had the misfortune to discover the outrageous law first hand.

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I travel to the Carolinas on a regular basis, and I drive through Georgia to do it. One day, I’m cruising along I95, and in the median is parked a Darien City police officer. He drives out of the median and pulls me over. He tells me I was driving 85 mph, and I don’t argue. I wasn’t looking at the speedometer, honestly, so I’m not certain. Why a city cop should be handing out tickets on the interstate was a mystery, but one I wasn’t that intrigued by. I sign for the ticket and move on with my life. After returning to Florida, I mail the fine of $286.00 to the designated address, thinking that was the end of it.

Ah, but they aren’t done with me.

Two weeks later, I received a letter in the mail from the State of Georgia informing me of an additional fine for my infraction. Because I “Pled Guilty” to driving 85 mph, I fall into a category called Super Speeder and charged an additional two hundred dollars! There was no proof of the speed driven, but there was no offer of a way to contest the charge, either. I was an out-of-state driver, ignorant of their local laws, and they had me by the balls.

This is a line from one of their websites, “...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...” So, shouldn’t this fine only be assessed after a second (or third) speeding ticket? And then, technically, it should only be for the citizens of Georgia, not out-of-state drivers, because we could not “make a habit” of speeding on the Georgia portion of an interstate.

Another website (Super Speeder Information) admits that a cop doesn’t have to tell you about the law. They inform you by mail, within thirty days after the penalty. So there’s a lie of omission. I didn’t know about the magical “85 mph” law that tacks an extra two hundred dollars on my fine. But, we all know that cops are allowed to lie, don’t we? Oh yeah, one more thing. My license will be suspended if I don’t pay.

“Surprise!” says the State of Georgia. “We can now legally screw you out of an additional two hundred dollars.”

Thanks for visiting Georgia! Ya’ll come on back, real soon.