A post on the Alpharetta, Georgia Police Department’s Facebook page said that when law enforcement clocked a speeding vehicle recently, it wasn’t worth even chasing him down the highway. 

That’s right.  The officer did not attempt to stop the driver of a sportbike motorcycle.  Why is that? The driver was clocked at 176 mph.  Instead, the Alpharetta police passed along a description of the motorcyclist to agencies farther south on Ga. 400.

“Hopefully, the driver of the sportbike matures a little before a tragedy happens,” the agency said.

A sportbike is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads.  Apparently high speed vehicles like sportbikes have been a growing fad recently. With fewer people on the road due to the coronavirus pandemic, motorists have been putting the pedal to the metal.

Statistics are showing a big increase in speeding tickets in Georgia.  In late April, tickets for speeding at 100 mph or more were up nearly two-thirds statewide from last year, according to the Georgia State Patrol.  One two-week period saw Troopers write 140 citations.  This statistic does not count tickets issued by many local police departments.

In Georgia, like in Missouri, speeding is a misdemeanor.  In Georgia, speeding is punishable by fines of up to $1,000.  However, fines can vary depending on where you get caught and how fast you were going. Another $200 can be added to the fine for extremely high speeding of those traveling 75 mph or more on a two-lane road or 85 mph and above on any road or highway.

If the fine doesn’t destroy your day, remember this.  Many jurisdictions with speeding cases 100 mph or faster require a driver to go straight to jail.

At least that was the case prior to Covid-19 pandemic. Some jurisdictions in Georgia are not seeking arrests for fear of spreading the coronavirus in local jails. You got to wonder if this doesn’t only encourage speeding.

But perhaps one man’s response on Facebook to this post puts it best:

“Think I’ve seen that bike, got passed by a guy doing well over hundy few days ago on 400. Seems like they could figure out a way to stop him before he takes the dirt nap (or causes somebody else to.)”

Well said Sir.  Needless to say, this guy got lucky.  Not because he didn’t get a ticket for doing 176 mph, but because he didn’t kill himself or another person.  Drive smart. Don’t be this guy!