Following is an overview of the laws, limits, and fines as they relate to speeding traffic violations in the state of Georgia.
Speed limits in Georgia
70 mph: interstate systems, physically divided highways
65 mph: urban interstates inside areas with a population under 50,000
65 mph: state divided highways without full access control
55 mph: other areas, unless posted otherwise
35 mph: unpaved county roads
30 mph: urban and residential districts
Georgia code on reasonable and prudent speed
Maximum speed law:
According to section 40-6-180 of Georgia vehicle code “No person shall drive a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard for the actual and potential hazards than existing.”
Minimum speed law:
According to section 40-6-184(a)(1) of Georgia vehicle code “No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.”
“Except when turning left, a person shall not drive in the left lane of a highway with at least four lanes at less than the maximum speed limit.”
“A person driving at less than the normal speed of traffic shall drive in the right-hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.”
While it may be difficult to fight a speeding ticket in Georgia due to the absolute speed limit law, a driver may choose to go to court and claim their innocence based upon one of the following:
The driver may oppose the determination of speed. In order to claim this defense a driver must know how his or her speed was determined and then learn how to disprove its accuracy.
A driver may claim that an emergency situation caused the driver to break the speed limit in order to prevent injury or damage to themselves or others.
The driver may claim a case of mistaken identity. If a police officer clocks a driver speeding and subsequently has to find them again in traffic, it’s possible that they could make a mistake and pull the wrong car over.
Penalty for exceeding the speed limit in Georgia
First-time violators may:
Be fined between $25 and $500 (between $100 and $2,000 in a construction zone)
Be sentenced to up to one year of jail time for speeding in a construction zone
Have their license suspended for between one and five years
Penalty for reckless driving in Georgia
In this state, there is no set speed that’s considered reckless driving. That determination rests upon the violation’s circumstances.
First-time violators may:
Be fined between up to $1,000
Be sentenced to up to one year of jail time
Have their license suspended for between one and five years
The fines for a speeding ticket in Georgia vary from county to county. Violators may be required to attend traffic school, however there are no fines assessed for going less than 10 mph over the speed limit, and no points assessed to a driver’s license for traveling under 15 mph over the limit.
