Drivers beware

By Malynda Fulton

VALDOSTA — A law that increases driver’s license reinstatement fees is among seven new laws introduced in Georgia this month.

Gov. Sonny Perdue recently signed House Bill 160, which introduces the Super Speeder Law. As part of the new legislation, all reinstatement fees for suspended or revoked driver’s licenses are increased from $200 up to $400. The driver’s license reinstatement fee increases went into effect July 1 and apply to suspensions imposed on or after July 1. Anyone who received a license suspension prior to July 1 will not face a fee increase.

The second part of the Super Speeder Law will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2010. The law imposes an additional fine of $200 for all drivers cited for driving 85 mph or more on a road or highway, as well as anyone driving 75 mph on any two-lane roads.

The Department of Driver Services must send written notice to a customer within 30 days of its receipt of a super speeder citation.

If the customer does not pay the citation within 90 days, he or she is subject to a license suspension of indefinite duration until he or she pays the fee plus a reinstatement fee of $50.

The legislation will generate approximately $23 million in Fiscal Year 2010, which Perdue recommended be spent to fund the state’s trauma care system, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office.

Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine said that while he believes violators who drive excessively over the speed limit, the additional fine may be too much of a burden considering the current state of the economy.

“Driving anywhere from 75 to 85 mph when the speed limit is set at a lower speed already results in a fine that ranges from $500 to $1,000,” Prine said. “What concerns me is whether people can afford to pay the state an extra $200. I do not condone people exceeding the posted speed limit, but I do feel it is a little bit harsh.”

Prine added that more people will probably appeal their citations because of the fee, causing more deputies to be tied up in court.

“We need to keep as many deputies as we can out patrolling the streets and keeping the community safe,” Prine said.

Valdosta Police Department Sgt. Earl Durrance said that most drivers in the city will not be affected by the Super Speeder Law.

“We see very few people drive 75 to 85 mph in the city limits,” Durrance said. “However, it’s only fair that the ones who do speed excessively pay the extra money because it costs lives and money when these people are involved in accidents. When you get around those speed limits, it’s hard to say you didn’t realize you were speeding.”

Other state laws introduced on July 1 prohibit registered national or state sex offenders from serving on local school boards and enable those convicted of serious violent crimes to be eligible to participate in a transitional or work-release program during their last year of incarceration. House Bill 226 states that probationers who are sentenced to detention centers get credit for time served while they await bed space. Under House Bill 306, the court may order a defendant who has been granted bond to be released on an electronic pretrial and monitoring release.

The remaining two laws ushered in this month consolidate all state aircraft operations and equipment and require a personal identification card always be presented when selling metal to a secondary recycler.



Driver’s license suspensions subject to increased reinstatement fees include the following:

• O.C.G.A. Section 40-5-22.1: Tiered fee structure for license suspensions imposed upon teens under age 16 who are convicted of DUI or drug offenses. The first offense is $210 (or $200 if paid by mail). The second offense is $310 (or $300 if paid by mail). The third or subsequent offense is $410 (or $400.00 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. Section 40-5-30: Imposes a new reinstatement fee of $210 (or $200 if paid by mail) for license suspensions resulting from convictions for violations of license restrictions.

• O.C.G.A. Section 40-5-56: Increases the reinstatement fee for license suspensions for failure to appear to $100 (or $90 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. Section 40-5-57.1: Increases the reinstatement fee for a second or subsequent serious juvenile suspension to $310 (or $300 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. Section 40-5-62: Increases the reinstatement fee for habitual violator revocations to $410 (or $400 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. Section 40-5-70: Increases the reinstatement fees for license suspensions for driving without insurance. The fee for a first suspension within five years will be $210 (or $200 if paid by mail), and the fee for reinstatement of a second or subsequent suspension within five years will be $310 (or $300 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. §40-5-75: Tiered fee structure for controlled substance suspensions. The first offense in five years is $210 (or $200 if paid by mail). The second offense in five years is $310 (or $300 if paid by mail). The third offense in five years is $410 (or $400 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. §40-5-84: Tiered fee structure for points suspensions and suspensions for mandatory offenses. The first offense in five years is $210 (or $200 if paid by mail). The second offense in five years is $310 (or $300 if paid by mail). The third offense in five years is $410 (or $400 if paid by mail).

• O.C.G.A. §40-5-121: Tiered fee structure for suspensions imposed for driving with a suspended license. The first offense in five years is $210 (or $200 if paid by mail). The second offense in five years is $310 (or $300 if paid by mail). The third offense in five years is $410 (or $400 if paid by mail).

Source: Georgia Department of Driver Services.

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