Warning for I-75 travelers

[Quasimodo]

This is for anyone that is planning on driving down I-75 through Georgia on their way to Florida. Be very careful of your speed while in Georgia. Pay close attention to speed limit changes. I-75 through Georgia is heavily patrolled for speeding both by the GSP (Georgia State Patrol) and local law enforcement. Many counties in Georgia use traffic violations to provide additional revenue to their county. As such they aggressively enforce speed limits and impose heavy fines on those they ticket. Most speed enforcement on Georgia interstates is done with laser. Even if you have a top of the line radar/laser detector, you will get no warning until its too late.

One area that is particularly bad is Tift County in south Georgia. They are notorious for running multiple traps on I-75 around the city of Tifton. They can and will write you up for going faster than you were actually going. Possibly from error, but more likely to impose heavier fines. If you are going over 80 mph, don't be surprised to get a ticket for going 90. The fine in Tift county for going 89 mph is $245. But the fine for 90 mph (just 1 mph faster) is $700! If that isn't bad enough, starting in January Georgia will be imposing a "super speeder" fine of an additional $200 if you are ticketed for going 85 mph or more. So you could easily end up with a $900 ticket for going 85 mph.

I know some of you reading this will think, "just don't speed and you will be fine". This is true but the reality is that most of us speed. If for no other reason than to keep pace with the traffic. In addition, if you are like me and want to travel down long stretches of interstate on cruise control without having to frequently alter speed and change lanes (either to get around slower vehicles or to allow faster vehicles to pass), you will find yourself in the left lane going 10-15 mph over the speed limit. Don't let this happen. Its very easy to do even if you aren't in a hurry. But it will eventually get you a ticket with a hefty fine. It did me.

I am not suggesting anyone break any traffic laws. But I will tell you (based on Georgia traffic laws and my own experience living in Georgia) most Georgia law enforcement agencies will not bother with you if you are going no more than 9 mph over the speed limit unless you are in a school or work zone.

So please watch your speed. Particularly around Tifton, GA.

[Rekenna]

Leaving in 2 weeks, heading that way from KY. Thanks for the tip!

[seanyred]

Thanks for the info my parents are snow birds and drive down in a couple weeks and I think they might go that way. I'll have to let them know.

[GrumpyFan]

Another area for heavy speed traps on I-75 is between Acworth, exit 277 and Kennesaw, exit 269. I used to live in this area, and it was not uncommon to see 4 or 5 vehicles in the Southbound lanes pulled over between those exits.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Wow! I didn't know fines could get so high.

We had a not-so-pleasant run-in with a sherrif from Tift County a couple of years ago. He kept threatening to take DH to jail 'cause he was a "foreign national". DD was in tears in the back of the car.

[Polynesian Dweller]

We had a not-so-pleasant run-in with a sherrif from Tift County a couple of years ago. He kept threatening to take DH to jail 'cause he was a "foreign national". DD was in tears in the back of the car.

This has been going on for decades in Georgia. My parents had a similar experience with Georgia Police in the '60s. They weren't speeding at the time (I was in the car) but the officer made it clear we were suspicious because of being "foreigners" (it was our Ontario license plate). He was really rough and threatenting and my father was a minister and his ID showed that. On our next trip we went only as far as the Carolinas and never drove to Florida (i.e. through Georgia) again.

I've heard frequent stories like these ever since. Georgia is the reason we won't drive down. You'd think Georgia wouldn't want a reputation of a state to stay away from. They might actually get more from strong tourism than tickets.

[Altair]

One area that is particularly bad is Tift County in south Georgia. They are notorious for running multiple traps on I-75 around the city of Tifton. could easily end up with a $900 ticket for going 85 mph.

So please watch your speed. Particularly around Tifton, GA.

AAA goes as far as stamping "speed enforcement area" on that page of it's Trip Tik's.

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Great info! We are leaving in 2 days and will be going through Georgia from Michigan...

To the Canadian Intercotees - I can't image someone thinking that Canadians are foriegn nationals. But, since we live so close to the border, we see Ontario plates daily. We have many Windsor neighbors working in our building.

We will be going as close to the limit as possible in GA... keep your eyes forward, don't make direct eye contact, use sir and ma'am....

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

To the Canadian Intercotees - I can't image someone thinking that Canadians are foriegn nationals. But, since we live so close to the border, we see Ontario plates daily. We have many Windsor neighbors working in our building.

Thanks! I know us Canadians are technically "foreigners" in the US, but I prefer to think of us as cousins or something!

Be careful in Georgia, DH got caught just as he was trying to merge into traffic from an on-ramp, so they'll get you wherever they can.

[T-Belle]

I was born and raised here andI love my state and the people of Georgia but all the above post are true. Especially in the more rural counties. My children live in Maryland and I always remind them to be very careful when they visit because of their Maryland tag. I think sometimes an out of state tag is all that's needed to be a target.

[SandmanGStefani24]

well, risking being an outcast, I will say that I am in law enforcement. Perhaps we do things differently here, but I have never seen an officer or trooper write a ticket for higher than indicated on radar. Also, if anything tickets show a slower speed than on your speedo since most speedometers are not calibrated correctly for speeds over 70mph. And someone also mentioned the ticket cost for 90 mph... Seriously? 5 or 10 over is one thing, but 20 mph over the limit? At that speed you're getting dangerously close to a reckless driving/careless operation ticket which will just be a fine if you're lucky. (Anything 20 MPH and over and I have the discretion to make an arrest.) Play it safe boys and girls, please use common sense. Getting to WDW safe and in one piece is key.

On a side note, I have had close calls with FHP cruisers sitting under bridge overpasses! Sneaky and hard to spot while driving!

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I will say that I am in law enforcement.

On a side note, I have had close calls with FHP cruisers sitting under bridge overpasses! Sneaky and hard to spot while driving!

For whatever reason, I just laughed out loud after reading this.

[Quasimodo]

well, risking being an outcast, I will say that I am in law enforcement. Perhaps we do things differently here, but I have never seen an officer or trooper write a ticket for higher than indicated on radar. Also, if anything tickets show a slower speed than on your speedo since most speedometers are not calibrated correctly for speeds over 70mph. And someone also mentioned the ticket cost for 90 mph... Seriously? 5 or 10 over is one thing, but 20 mph over the limit? At that speed you're getting dangerously close to a reckless driving/careless operation ticket which will just be a fine if you're lucky. (Anything 20 MPH and over and I have the discretion to make an arrest.)

I understand what you are saying about the fine for 90 mph. I certainly don't disagree. The issue here is that I was NOT going 90 mph. I know I wasn't. I had my cruise control set just below 85. At most I was going 85 and I am fairly sure it was less than that. I will admit that I was speeding. I deserved a ticket. But not an excessively punitive fine for a speed I wasn't going.

I don't know why this deputy wrote me up for 90. I suspect he actually got a reading of 90 mph on his LIDAR. Yet I KNOW I wasn't going that fast. So there was an error somewhere. Either with my speedometer or his operation of the LIDAR gun. I have a hard time believing my speedometer reads 5 mph slower than my actual speed. I drove by a couple of those speed signs that show your current speed and both were within 1 or 2 mph of my speedometer reading. I was also going roughly the same speed as the rest of the traffic. However, if that deputy even slightly moved his LIDAR gun while lasing my vehicle, it could have easily created a 5 mph difference. I have thought about taking this to court and have done some research into LIDAR inaccuracies. I have read more than one article describing how moving a LIDAR gun while lasing a target can cause the calculated speed to be in error as much as 8 mph. Based on what I have read, it seems that it is very easy (whether intentional or not) to get a speed reading higher than the actual speed of the vehicle.

Anyway, the intent of my post was not to rant about my ticket. It was to warn anyone driving through Georgia to be mindful of your speed and not let one of our rural counties impose a travelers tax on you.

[SandmanGStefani24]

For whatever reason, I just laughed out loud after reading this.

lol...yeah even we're not immune when on vacation! luckily i always stay right at or below the limit just in case. that one would be hard to explain to the boss when i got back!