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In 2018, speeding was a factor in 26% of all fatal traffic accidents according to the National Safety Council. Despite this startling statistic, it is also one of the most common traffic violations in the United States. Police issue approximately 112,000 speeding tickets each day, and almost 41 million each year. This equals out to approximately one speeding ticket each second in the United States. Each state and even counties and cities can set their own fines for speeding tickets. The national average fine for a speeding ticket is between $115 and $135. However, that’s nothing compared to the jump in insurance premiums, which can spike up to 18% for a first-time speeding ticket and 34% for a second violation.
Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the empty Georgia roads are creating a dangerous temptation for drivers to drive at speeds of up to triple digits.
Amid the COVID-19 epidemic and the shelter in place orders, law enforcement leaders are seeing a new and more dangerous problem than traffic congestion. More people are using the wide-open roads as a chance to not just speed, but to go over 100 m.p.h. in some cases.
A Snellville police officer clocked a vehicle doing 103 m.p.h. on Lenora Church Road in the middle of the day. The speed limit there is 45 m.p.h. The driver told the police officer that he was looking for a bathroom. However, the cop didn’t buy it because the driver was going to Conyers, which was 15 miles away.
Over Easter weekend in Oglethorpe County, deputies clocked a vehicle at a speed of 116 m.p.h. The driver, identified as Luis Valasquez, wrecked his vehicle and fled the scene. He turned himself in the next day.
Along Georgia 400 and Interstate 285, Sandy Springs police say that they have ticketed more than 60 people for speeds in excess of 100 m.p.h. in the past month. The police department clocked a motorcycle going 173 m.p.h. over Easter weekend. The driver never got a ticket because police realized there was no way they could catch them.
Velasquez faced numerous charges, including speeding, reckless driving, attempting to elude an officer, and driving without a license. The driver in Snellville just received a speeding ticket and reckless driving.
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