Speeding tickets in Georgia can have serious consequences to your insurance rates, your bank account, and to your drivers license. Speeding charges are criminal misdemeanor offenses and can even lead to jail time and probaiton if you are convicted of speeding at speeds over 90mph. The three most important questions I ask when handling a speeding ticket consultation are: 1) How old are you? 2) Do you have a Georgia drivers license? and 3) How fast were you going and what was the speed limit? These three questions allow me to give potential clients the best advice possible when handling their speeding ticket citation.

Georgia law treats drivers differently if they are under 18, under 21, and 21 and over. Knowing how the specific speeding ticket will impact your drivers license status based on your age is the first step in determining how you want to resolve your speeding citation. Georgia also treats drivers differently depending on whether they have a Georgia drivers license or not. Georgia is a points state, meaning speeding citations carry different levels of points based on the number of miles over the speed limit you were traveling. But those points only impact people with Georgia drivers licenses. If you have an out of state drivers license, the court that handles your citation will report the speed to the Georgia Department of Driver Services and the Georgia DDS will report that information to your home state’s driver services. A Georgia attorney cannot advise you how your home state’s driver services will handle the speeding violation.

Finally, since Georgia is a points state, the speed at which you resolve your citation is the speed that is important when determining whether your citation is reported on your driving history, whether it carries any points, and whether it is a super speeder violation. As a general rule, any speed 14mph or less under the speed limit will not be reported on your driving history or carry any points if you are a Georgia drivers license holder. Speeds 15-18 mph over the speed limit carry 2 points, 19-23mph over the speed limit carry 3 points, 24-33 mph over the speed limit carry 4 points, and 34mph or more over the speed limit is a six point violation. Georgia also has a super speeder law that creates an additional $200 fee due to the Department of Driver Services if you are convicted of driving 75mph or more on any 2 lane road or 85mph or more on any road or highway with more than 2 lanes.

With this information in hand, you normally have three options in handling a Georgia speeding citation:

Option 1: Make the solicitor’s office prove you committed the offense you have been charged with under Georgia law. This generally involves taking your citation to trial and allowing a Judge or jury to hear the evidence and determine innocence or guilt. However, there are circumstances where the solicitor’s office may choose to dismiss your citation prior to trial if they feel they cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Option 2: Speak with the solicitor about your traffic citation in an attempt to reduce the citation to a non-reportable, zero point offense that would not impact your driver’s history or put any points on your drivers license. Many speeding tickets can be negotiated with the solicitor’s office to reduce the speed on the citation if you have a good driving history. This option may require completion of a state approved driver improvement course, community service, or other special conditions depending on your age and driving history.

Option 3: Plead guilty or no contest to the citation as originally written. Both of these resolutions would be reported on your driving history, but a no contest plea does not put any points on your drivers license if you are eligible to plead no contest. No contest pleas must be accepted by the Judge and are not eligible to drivers under 21.

Once citations are reported on your driving history it becomes more and more difficult to get citations reduced to non-reportable offenses. An attorney may be able to help you get the best possible resolution. Call or text 678-753-6431 today for a free consultation.