Those flickering lights in your rearview mirror remind you that you haven’t checked your speed recently. You might not be sure what the posted limit is on the Georgia street or road on which you’re traveling. We all find ourselves driving down life’s highway and sometimes miss the change in the speed limit on an unfamiliar road.
Your violation will likely cost you money and points on your driving record. It might even affect your auto insurance rates. Fortunately, those points eventually come off.
Let’s assume you’re facing a run-of-the-mill speeding ticket without reckless driving or accidents. And there are no drug or alcohol charges involved. Just excessive speed.
Here’s your speeding ticket timeline: what you’ll do to handle your ticket, the likely penalties, according to Georgia laws, and how long the speeding ticket will stay on your record.
We’ll answer your most important question first.
What Will My Georgia Speeding Violation Cost Me?
Simple speeding offenses in Georgia are misdemeanors. The charge will likely cost you two ways: in the pocketbook and negative points on your driving record.
It’s an incredibly wide range, but your financial penalty for speeding could be anywhere from $25 to $1,000. This penalty range starts at driving only five to ten miles over the limit.
Other factors also contribute to cost. You’ll pay less if it’s your first offense versus if you’ve been nabbed multiple times over two years. Furthermore, the penalty grows with the miles exceeding the max limit.
The infraction also gets more expensive under certain circumstances. For instance, you could pay $1,000 or even more if the violation occurs in a highway work zone.
What you don’t want to get called is a Super Speeder. It sounds like a superhero, but it’s not nearly that cool. Drivers caught speeding at a rate that’s more than 75 miles an hour over the posted limit on a two-lane road or 85 mph over on a Georgia highway earn this title. That gets you ticketed an extra $200 on top of the regular fine and another $50 to get your suspended license eventually reinstated.
In terms of points on your Georgia driving record, speeding violations can cost you anywhere from two to six points, depending on the severity of the charge and how much you exceed the limit.
Keep in mind, if you rack up a total of 15 points, your license will be suspended. The good news here is there’s a reasonable limit to how long each violation stays on your record. So, as long as you drive carefully and observe posted limits from now on, the numbers will soon begin to work to your advantage.
What’s My Speeding Ticket Response Timeline and Process?
The average Georgia speeding ticket is pretty easy to handle. If you accept the violation and financial penalty, you can simply pay the amount owed online or by mail, phone, or in person.
Just make sure that payment is made by 5 p.m. on the day of your scheduled court appearance listed on the ticket. There’s an additional $100 penalty if you pay late.
All payment information should appear on your citation. The police officer who stops you can answer your questions about the process or whether you must attend court. A court appearance is only mandatory under certain circumstances. These might include being caught at a highly excessive speed, receiving multiple tickets over a defined period, or other charges such as a DUI, at-fault collision, or reckless driving.
You can also call your local courthouse during business hours to ask for payment details.
Simply show up on your court date if you wish to contest the charge. If the charges stick, the state will tabulate the points on your driver’s record and send you－and your insurer－that information. (More on that to come.)
What if I Don’t Pay My Ticket or Go to Court?
Not paying or showing up to court is serious business in Georgia. Your non-compliance could result in a steep fine and court costs in addition to what you already owe for the ticket. Suspension of your driving privileges is likely, and the offense could even result in jail time!
Even worse, the violation could make your auto insurance rates go up 20 percent or more. Speaking of which …
What Impact Will My Speeding Ticket Have on My Georgia Car Insurance?
The good news first: One ticket for exceeding the posted speed limit by a simple five to 10 miles probably won’t affect what you pay for car insurance. Even your insurer understands that we all make mistakes sometimes.
But it can (and probably will) get expensive if you’re caught driving faster than that, you get more than one ticket over two years, or the charge is more serious than a typical speeding violation.
By that last factor, we mean your insurance company will be sure to raise your rates or even cancel your coverage if you cause an accident, if reckless driving or other violations are included in the charge, or if drugs or alcohol were involved.
The rate increase is because you’re now considered a high-risk driver and your insurer thinks you are likely to have a future accident or be a risk to others sharing the road with you. Insurance companies want to avoid financial loss, so they’ll charge you more or drop you as a client.
So, What Now?
Here’s what not to do: stay quiet and hope your auto insurance agent never finds out about your driving record. That ain’t gonna happen because the State of Georgia shares the infraction data with insurers.
When will your speeding ticket show up on your insurance coverage? It might take several months. And if you’ve recently renewed coverage, you might not get the bad news until your next renewal period. But trust us … the bad news is coming. That’s why you need to be proactive.
Report your problem to your auto insurance agent. If you’re doing business with an independent agent, they can shop for the most affordable coverage available to you from multiple carriers. You’re likely to get a better deal that way than if you’re dealing with an agent who only has access to the policies offered by a single company.
Here’s one last point we think is worth making: Even if you have to pay a hefty fine and see your car insurance rates go up, all of that pain goes away in time. Your points don’t stay on your driving record forever. They fall off in 24 months. Once your insurance company sees a cleaner driving record, your cost of coverage will improve accordingly.