2y ago

A $1.4 million speeding ticket surprised a Georgia man before officials clarified the situation

apnews.com

9 comments

“We do not issue that placeholder as a threat to scare anybody into court, even if this person heard differently from somebody in our organization,” Peacock told The Associated Press.
press X to doubt
TLDR:
city officials say the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine.
The actual fine cannot exceed $1,000 in addition to state-mandated costs.
- Then, uh, $1000 should probably be the "maximum placeholder" too, jackasses.
  
  I disagree. The placeholder should be 0 (or even better, a negative number if the system allows it).
  Otherwise you'll have people who will end up paying the $1000, believing it to be what they owe.
  In a strange way, having it be ridiculously high was a benefit since it got this person to complain. If it was something high but still within in the range of plausibility, he might have overpaid. That being said, it being ridiculously high could also (as the article suggests) be used nefariously to scare people into showing up in court.
- the 'placeholder' being there because the variable judge-issued penalty has not yet been handed down.
  a court date isn't needed for 35 mph above, only more than 35 mph above (per the article).
  if this violation does not require a court date, a judge therefore would not be setting the fine if guilty.
  the fines for 1 to 35 mph above violations should be fixed amounts, defined by state statute, and printed on the ticket; so that the person can actually 'plead guilty' via paying the fine by postal mail.
  
  Sheesh, in most states I have lived in, it is 20mph above. No wonder there are so many asshole drivers in GA.
in this case, shouldn't the exact fine have been on the ticket and no court date required?
90 in a 55 is exactly 35, not the "more than 35" above required for that date with destiny.

9 comments