ATLANTA — Get out of the way, slow drivers. The minimum speed limit on Georgia highways might increase to 50 mph.
Georgia lawmakers are considering raising the speedy minimum speed limit from 40 mph as a safety measure to reduce crashes caused by disparities in speed. The maximum speed limit on some highways is 70 mph.
“I want to limit the number of rear-end collisions,” said state Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, the sponsor of House Bill 809. “I’ve received fatality reports … It’s horrific.”
The max speed limit in Georgia has steadily increased over the last few decades from 55 mph to 70 mph, but the minimum speed limit has remained at 40 mph, Carson said.
Col. William Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said Georgia State Patrol officers have seen significant damage and injuries involving slow-moving vehicles.
“Driving below the speed limit can, in some cases, be as dangerous as traveling above the posted speed limit,” Hitchens wrote in a letter last month to Carson about his proposal. “Vehicles that are traveling below the minimum speed can cause traffic issues such as long backups and cause motorists to take evasive actions due to approaching the vehicle faster than expected.”
Senior citizens and student drivers might struggle with a higher minimum speed limit, said state Rep. Rhonda Taylor, D-Conyers.
“It would be a better solution … (to) move to the right,” Taylor said. “It almost feel like I’m being penalized because I can’t drive 50 miles an hour.”
Violations of Georgia’s minimum speed law are punishable by fines up to $1,000, but local jurisdictions across the state generally set penalties much lower, in the $100 to $200 range. Fines wouldn’t change under HB 809.
The bill calls for the 50 mph minimum speed limit on any part of a highway in Georgia with a speed limit 65 mph or greater.
The House Motor Vehicles Committee didn’t vote on the bill after a hearing Tuesday while lawmakers gather more information about crashes and research the cost of replacing speed limit signs. The bill could be brought up for a vote afterward.