Georgia has new penalties for dangerous drivers that support trauma care in the state.
This is quite possibly a groundbreaking development in terms of trying to handle the number of dangerous drivers in the State of Georgia. The “Super Speeder Law,” also formally recognized by the designation HB160, went into effect January 1, 2010. Its main thrust is to try and cut down on the number of speed-related accidents.
The new law dings all drivers convicted of doing speeds of over 75 mph on two lane roads and all drivers convicted of doing speeds of 85 mph and over on other Georgia roadways. This isn’t the end of the fines though. In addition to paying local fees, illegal speeders will have to fork out an additional $200 state fee for driving like demons.
For those speeders who figure they can get away with not paying the state fee, there is a surprise waiting in the wings for them. “Non payers will face an additional $50 fee and have their licenses suspended,” explained Stephen M. Ozcomert who handles personal injury cases, accidents, and malpractice law in Atlanta, Georgia.
None of this process is exactly easy, and convicted speeders will be required to make two separate payments. “For instance, the local citation is paid normally – meaning in the jurisdiction where the ticket was issued. The Super Speeder fee gets paid to the Georgia Department of Driver Services,” added Ozcomert.
The interesting thing here is that the new violations won’t mean additional points added on to an offender’s license. While this may be something lawmakers might want to revisit in the future, for now the penalties are hefty fines and license suspension.
The major benefit of this law is that the fees collected from the speeders go toward a general state fund used in Georgia’s trauma care hospital system. Unfortunately, some of the super speeders may find themselves benefiting from the fund at a later date if they don’t curb their penchant for driving too fast.
It’s already been estimated that close to 60% of the patients in Georgia trauma care centers were taken there as a result of sustaining serious injuries in car crashes that often involved speed. In fact, in 2008 alone, speed was a related factor in roughly 21% of all road fatalities in Georgia.
“It will be interesting to see the year end statistics for this new program. Frankly, if the money goes toward caring for badly injured people, it is a step forward in social responsibility,” commented Ozcomert an Atlanta personal injury lawyer who has seen his fair share of car crashes as a result of speed demons.
To learn more visit http://www.ozcomert.com.