Getting pulled over for speeding in Georgia could cost you a lot more this year. (photo courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/eflon/ / CC BY 2.0)
Drivers pulled-over for going well-above the speed limit will now be hit with an extra fine of $200.
It targets speeders hitting 85 miles-an-hour on four-lane roads or interstates, and 75 miles-an-hour on two-lane roads.
Paul Cosper with the Georgia State Patrol says drivers have been getting plenty of reminders about the new law.
"Even now in the last few months the troopers have been telling people, 'Hey, you need to pay attention to this because January 1, this would have qualified you to be a super speeder,'" says Cosper.
The law was an item pushed in the last Legislative session, with an aim to help create some level of funding for Georgia ’s ailing trauma hospital network.
Governor Sonny Perdue says the "bigger picture" approach is what he hopes comes from this law.
"We hope it will slow down people where we don't have to issue tickets for speeding excessively," Perdue says. "If we do that, we're actually going to do more for trauma then any kind of money will do".
Still, state officials expect more than $20 million of the fines collected to be directed toward boosting trauma care.
