A $1.4-million speeding ticket? Enormous fine stops Georgia man in his tracks
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia man was left reeling after receiving a $1.4-million speeding ticket, but city officials say the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine.
Connor Cato told WSAV-TV in Savannah that he received the citation after getting pulled over in September for driving 90 mph in a 55-mph zone.
He called the court thinking the figure was a typo but said he was told that he had either to pay it or appear in court in December.
Savannah officials say anyone caught exceeding the speed limit by more than 35 mph has to appear in court, where a judge will determine the actual fine.
The city is among the first to set new speed limits and is also looking to reduce speeds in business district areas.
The $1.4-million figure Cato received reflected a “placeholder” that was automatically generated by citation software used by the local Recorder’s Court, said Joshua Peacock, a spokesman for Savannah’s city government. The actual fine cannot exceed $1,000, plus state-mandated costs.
“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.
He added that the court was “currently working on adjusting the placeholder language to avoid any confusion.”
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