Super speeders’ bill on way to governor
3/25/2009

The Georgia Senate gave final passage Wednesday to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s bill aimed at “super speeders.”

The legislation, which already had cleared the House, won easy approval from the senators, 42-10. It now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it.

The bill would allow the state Department of Driver Services to impose an additional $200 fine on motorists caught driving more than 85 miles an hour on interstate highways or four-lane roads, or 75 mph on two-lane roads.

It also would raise driver’s license reinstatement fees for repeat offenders -- an extra $100 after a second offense and $200 after a third offense.

Perdue has been pushing the legislation for several years as a way to get Georgians to slow down.

“Georgia has a black eye… a reputation of allowing excessive speeds,” said Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen, Perdue’s Senate floor leader, during Wednesday’s floor debate on the bill.

The legislation would raise an estimated $23 million during the fiscal year ending June 30 and $31 million in fiscal 2010. The governor has pledged to put the money toward trauma care.

Click here to view this article by Dave Williams from the March 25, 2009 Atlanta Business Chronicle.