Speed limit signs are posted on the right side of every Georgia road in big, bold black numbers that are hard to miss. Yet, drivers pass these signs, ignoring them time and time again.
It’s unfortunate to consider how many people have lost their lives in car accidents due to speeding drivers. Many more survive with serious injuries. If a speeding driver hit you, our car accident lawyers can explain how the Georgia Super Speeder law may strengthen your claim for compensation.
How Georgia’s Super Speeder Law Targets the Most Dangerous Drivers
In 2010, Georgia lawmakers enacted the Super Speeder law in an effort to make Georgia’s roads and highways safer. While many Georgia drivers have heard of the Super Speeder law, most drivers don’t actually know what it says.
The Super Speeder law allows the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to assess an additional fee against drivers convicted of speeding at certain high speeds. For example, if a driver admits guilt or is found guilty of speeding and the speeding violation qualifies as a Super Speeder violation, that driver is responsible for paying the speeding fines plus an additional fee assessed by the DDS.
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Georgia’s Super Speeder Law Defined
The law applies only at certain speeds, and it adds a state fee on top of the local speeding ticket.
What Violation Qualifies as a “Super Speeder” Violation?
A driver is classified as a Super Speeder if they:
- Drive at a speed of 85 miles per hour or more on any road or highway; or
- Drive at a speed of 75 miles per hour or more on any two-lane road or highway.
Both thresholds apply regardless of the posted speed limit.
How Much Is a “Super Speeder” Fine?
In addition to any other fines or penalties imposed by any local court for the speeding violation, the DDS shall administer and collect a fee of $200.00 from any driver who is convicted of a Super Speeder violation.
The Super Speeder fee itself does not add points on your license. However, the underlying speeding conviction usually does.
The law was also designed to help fund Georgia’s trauma care system, which treats many of the people hurt in high-speed crashes.
What Happens if a Super Speeder Does Not Pay the Fee?
DDS must notify the driver of the fee within 30 days after receiving the conviction. If the driver does not pay within 90 days of that notice, DDS suspends their license. Getting it back requires an additional $50 reinstatement fee.
Car Accidents Caused by Speeding Drivers
Georgia’s Super Speeder law is intended to crack down on the number of Georgia speeders, as speeding drivers not only endanger themselves but also put other Georgia drivers at risk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 349 of Georgia’s 1,615 traffic deaths in 2023, or 22 percent, were speeding-related.
The hope remains that Georgia’s Super Speeder law will reduce the number of Georgia speed-related deaths. However, speeding remains a problem statewide. From the 2023 Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety traffic safety report, rural Georgia counties had the most speeding-related fatal crashes.
For people injured in these crashes, the other driver’s speed can play a central role in their claim for compensation.
How a Super Speeder Violation Can Strengthen Your Injury Claim
To recover compensation after a crash, you must show the other driver was negligent. That means proving four elements:
- Duty of care: Every driver must operate their vehicle safely and obey traffic laws.
- Breach of duty: The driver failed to meet that duty.
- Causation: That failure caused the crash and your injuries.
- Damages: You suffered losses, such as medical bills or lost wages.
A speeding violation can make the second element easier to prove. Under Georgia’s negligence per se doctrine, breaking a safety law like a speed limit can establish a breach of duty on its own. Driving at Super Speeder levels is strong evidence that the other driver broke that law.
You still need to show that the speeding caused your injuries. Our personal injury law firm will gather the evidence to connect the two.
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When Super Speeder Conduct Opens the Door to Punitive Damages
In cases involving particularly reckless conduct, you may also be entitled to punitive damages. These damages do not repay your losses. Instead, they punish the at-fault driver and discourage similar behavior.
Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1, you must show that the driver acted with indifference to the consequences. Driving at Super Speeder levels in heavy traffic or bad weather may meet that standard.
The Evidence That Proves a Super Speeder Caused Your Crash
Proving how fast the other driver was going takes more than your word. We look for evidence such as:
- Police report and citation: The officer’s findings and any super speeding ticket issued at the scene
- Event data recorder: The vehicle’s “black box,” which can record speed and braking in the seconds before impact
- Traffic camera footage: Video from intersections, highways, and nearby businesses
- Witness statements: Accounts from people who saw the other driver speeding
- Accident reconstruction: Expert analysis of skid marks, vehicle damage, and where the vehicles came to rest
Some of this evidence can disappear quickly. Businesses may record over video within days, and vehicles may be repaired or scrapped. Contacting our auto wreck lawyers soon after the crash gives us the best chance to preserve it.
High-Speed Crashes Leave Super Speeder Victims With Serious Injuries
The faster a vehicle travels, the more force it carries into a collision. That force often causes serious injuries, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal organ damage
These injuries can require surgery, long hospital stays, and months of rehabilitation. Some leave victims with permanent limitations. Your claim can seek compensatory damages for:
- Medical expenses: Emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, and future treatment
- Lost wages: Pay you lost while unable to work
- Lost earning capacity: Income you can no longer earn because of lasting injuries
- Pain and suffering: The daily pain and emotional strain your injuries cause
- Wrongful death: Compensation for families who lost a loved one in a speeding crash
The value of your claim depends on how your injuries affect your life now and in the years ahead.
Why Shared Fault Rarely Defeats a Claim Against a Super Speeder
Insurers sometimes argue that you share blame for the crash. Under Georgia’s contributory negligence rules in O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, any fault assigned to you reduces your compensation. You can still recover as long as you were less at fault than the other driver.
When that driver was traveling at Super Speeder levels, it is often hard for an insurer to shift significant blame onto you.
What to Do After a Super Speeder Hits You
The steps you take after the car accident can protect both your health and your claim:
- Get medical care right away: Some injuries do not show symptoms for hours or days. Early treatment also creates a record linking your injuries to the crash.
- Avoid statements to the other driver’s insurer: Adjusters may use your words to downplay your injuries or shift blame.
- Contact a lawyer quickly: The sooner we start, the more evidence we can preserve.
You also face a deadline. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. Waiting too long can cost you the right to recover anything.
Hurt by a Super Speeder? Kaine Law Is Ready to Fight for You
A driver who chose to race past the speed limit should not leave you paying for that decision. At Kaine Law, our personal injury attorneys bring decades of experience to cases against reckless drivers. You get one-on-one time with your attorney and their cell phone number, so you are never left wondering about your case. We also handle your property damage claim as a courtesy.
Your consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win. We advance every case expense and recover those costs from your settlement only after a win. Our staff can also assist Spanish-speaking clients. Call Kaine Law today.
Call or text 404-214-2001 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
