How Georgia's Super Speeder Law Prevents Car Accidents and Saves Lives
The Georgia Super Speeder Law is a valuable tool for discouraging operating a motor vehicle at high rates of speed, which constitutes one of the most dangerous forms of driving. When drivers violate the speed limit, they increase the probability of a collision as well as the severity of resulting injuries and vehicle damage. According to the Institute for Road Safety Research, vehicle collision rates increase with speed as well as when individual vehicles exceed the general speed of traffic. The organization also reports that higher speeds result in more intense collisions and worse injuries especially when there is a substantial difference in mass between the vehicles. The traffic safety organization also reports that those in the lighter vehicle usually suffer more severe injuries than those in the heavier vehicle.
Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys at Montlick and Associates endorse the Georgia Super Speeder law, which became effective January 1, 2010. The law imposes more severe fines for violating the speed limit at higher rates of speed. The law imposes a heightened fine of $200 on motorists that drive 75 miles per hour or faster on a two-lane road or 85 miles per hour or faster on any type of Georgia roadway. The fine is assessed by the Department of Driver Services (DDS) and paid to the State of Georgia. This means that it is a supplemental fine to any penalties imposed by the municipality where the offense occurred. Failure to comply with the penalty assessment within 120 days of a motorist being notified of the fine will result in suspension of the motorist’s driver’s license. If a motorist’s license is suspended for not paying the $200 fine in a timely fashion, he or she will be required to pay an additional $50 on top of the fine to obtain license reinstatement.
The Super Speeder fine represents an attempt by Georgia to prevent crashes and reduce traffic fatalities. If a vehicle is traveling at a higher rate of speed, the driver has less time to notice a potential accident risk and take appropriate evasive action, such as moving into an adjacent lane, swerving, slowing down or stopping. While the typical driver traveling at twenty miles per hour needs an estimated distance of 45 feet to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, this distance increases to 272 feet at sixty miles per hour and to 456 feet (or the length of 1.5 football fields) at eighty miles per hour according to the NewYorkDefensiveDriving.com website. By imposing additional financial penalties for exceeding the speed limit by a greater margin, Georgia’s Super Speeder law provides an extra incentive to slow down.
There are other adverse effects on driving ability that promote accidents beyond longer stopping distances when drivers travel at high rates of speed. Because a higher rate of speed increases centrifugal force and reduces tire friction, a vehicle has less tire traction. When vehicle traction declines, a motorist has less control over the vehicle so there is a greater risk of being involved in a collision.
The bottom line is that speeding drivers put everyone else at-risk so we urge drivers to obey the speed limit. If you are injured or a loved one dies in a Georgia car accident caused by a driver traveling at an unsafe speed, our Atlanta car accident attorneys at Montlick and Associates are available to provide effective legal representation to those throughout all of Georgia, the Southeast and rural areas in the state.
No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.