Excessive speeding of 100MPH on South Ga. I-75; Officials say slow down or pay the fine

Sycamore, Ga. (WALB) - If you’re traveling on I-75, law enforcement says to slow down or face the fine. In a 14-hour time frame, 28 tickets were issued to drivers for driving over 100 miles per hour.

According to Sycamore Police Chief Willam Ryder and Ashburn Police Chief Richard Purvis, there has been a 60% increase in speeds of 100 miles per hour and over from 2022 to 2023. He says speeds of 91 and higher from 2022 to 2023 went up to 55% so far.

Earlier in June, a 19-year-old traveling to Florida was clocked at 131 mph. He was later taken to jail for 45 days.

“On the interstate right now, it’s 70 miles per hour, and we rarely see anybody driving 70. The biggest excuse that we see is ‘we’re just trying to keep up with traffic.’ And it’s like no, you’re leading traffic really and truly.” Purvis said.

During these “super speeder stops,” officers have also been cracking down on drug activity and other criminal items. They’ve confiscated a large number of stolen firearms, marijuana, meth, heroin and fentanyl.

“Once it’s seized and turned over, we used it for drug seized funds, we buy equipment trainings. I send a lot of my guys to classes with the money that we seize, “ Ryder said.

Sycamore City Attorney Dustin Land says there are consequences for excessive speeding.

“Speeding is a general misdemeanor, and it carries up to one year in jail and, or $1,000 fine. The statistics, there’s just been a huge overwhelming increase in the number of speeds in the last couple of years. It’s very eye-opening,” Land said.

According to the National Highway and Safety Administration, every time you increase your speed over 10 miles per hour over the posted limit, you double the chance of dying in a vehicular accident.

“We would much rather write you a citation than you wind up on the highway somewhere because of your speed,” Purvis said.

Officers told WALB the most recent speeds are concerning, and they just want the community to slow down because ultimately it could save a life.

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