A Georgia man was shocked to receive a $1.4 million speeding ticket, but Savannah city officials say it was just a placeholder, not the actual fine. Connor Cato was pulled over in September for driving 90 in a 55 and received the citation. He contacted the court thinking it was a typo, but was told he either had to pay the amount or appear in court in December. Savannah officials clarified that anyone caught driving more than 35 mph above the speed limit has to appear in court, where a judge will determine the actual fine. The $1.4 million figure was an automatically generated placeholder. The actual fine cannot exceed $1,000.
WSAV heard back from the city of Savannah. Here is what they had to say.
- Explain the fine placed on super speeder tickets in the city of Savannah.
- The fine for a super speeder ticket is set by the judge at the court appearance. The balance reflected in the e-citation is a placeholder, not a fine. Anyone that is caught speeding 35+ miles per hour receives the placeholder because it is a mandatory court appearance.
- Why is the set amount for drivers caught going over 35mph $1.4 million dollars?
- The balance reflected in the e-citation is a placeholder. Super speeders are required to go to court. The system automatically puts in $999,999.99 as the base amount plus other costs since the only way to resolve the ticket is to appear in court.
- How long has the practice of putting fines of that amount on speeding citations been enforced?
- The balance reflected in the e-citation is a placeholder, not a fine. The amount is not enforced. This has been in practice since 2017 when a new system was put into place.
- What is the fine usually told to people when they appear in court?
- The amount of the fine is determined by the judge during adjudication and cannot exceed $1,000 plus state mandated costs.
- What’s the GA statute that allows the court to apply a fine that large?
- The balance reflected in the e-citation is a placeholder, not a fine. Depending on the case, the judge can determine what penalty to impose.
- Have you seen an increase in the number of people coming to court since this practice started?
The City does not have that data available.
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