In Georgia, towns, townships, and municipalities can set their own fees for speeding tickets, and it doesn’t have to be fair, and in fact, a simple speeding ticket could be more than your monthly mortgage!
I love Georgia, the people, and the climate – but I don’t like the idea that some towns gouge people to the point of causing them financial ruin especially in times when it’s a struggle to find enough gas money to get to work and keep food on the table. The question arises as to what is fair, and what is exorbitant, and even more importantly, when will the people of Georgia or their Legislature step-up and say “no more” to speed-traps and towns that apply ridiculous fines for a driving infraction that is exactly 250% higher than adjoining Gwinnett County!
The town I’m speaking of is Oakwood, Georgia, who in 2000, had a population of 2,689, and by 2006, was expected to expand to 3,839. Obviously, Oakwood is not a large town, but because of their location in Hall County, a large amount of people from Gainesville and towns in Forsyth County(s) travel through Oakwood on their way to jobs in Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs. No, it wasn’t me that got the speeding ticket, however, when I learned of their absurd fees, I was shocked and dismayed that a town of approximately 4,000 people was obviously subsidizing their municipality by charging a ridiculous amount of money for traffic infractions that border on being obscene!
I drive through Oakwood at least three or four times per week and I always thought they were a much larger town; I made that assumption by noting the enormous police presence and the amount of people that were constantly being pulled-over receiving traffic tickets – and I “assumed” they were a large town, otherwise how could they afford so many police officers? Now that I know they charge the highest traffic fines I’ve ever heard of, it’s obvious that their police force is a major source of income, not to “protect and serve”, but to gouge and pull in as much income as they can from unsuspecting drivers! To make matters worse, much of the main road is “under construction” and has been for over a year now, and in Georgia, as it is in many states, traffic tickets are doubled in “work zones”, so while driving through Oakwood, it’s my suggestion to everyone that they watch their speed and know that if they get caught speeding, the fine(s) they will pay could be more than their mortgage payment, and in some cases, substantially higher. There are reports that when you do get pulled-over, a simple speeding ticket often encompasses balding tires, tail-lights, and everything else they can find to raise their fines, and what I’m guessing, income for the town and the local police department.
The main thoroughfare through Oakwood is lined with businesses, including a huge Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Lowes, and several businesses that take advantage of their strategic location and access to I-985; the town is only 3.1 square miles, but if you’re caught speeding, this may be the highest priced road that you may ever travel upon, and as a matter of protecting yourself from traffic fines that could drastically impact your family, I’d suggest that when people drive through Oakwood, go below the speed-limit, or better yet, find an alternate route to I-985! I do not condone speeding, but once in a while, even the best of us are late for work or an appointment, and there’s not too many of us that haven’t had a speeding ticket – but in fairness, there should be a limit to what a town can charge, and when it’s 250% higher than an adjoining county, I’d call it gouging, and if Georgians bypass this speed-trap, I’d bet money that the local businesses will petition City Hall to charge a reasonable amount for traffic infractions, not a figure that could literally cause a family to miss a car or mortgage payment!
Again, if people speed, we expect to get a speeding ticket, but I believe that when it’s so high that even adjoining counties talk about Oakwood’s legendary high fines with revulsion, Oakwood is a town that should be entered into with great care, and if you can, find an alternate route until the city fathers find another method of raising revenue rather than gouging a population that is already suffering because of high gas and food prices. I wrote this brief article as a traffic advisory to those who travel through Oakwood, as most of us are unaware of how absurd their traffic fines are, and if you know beforehand, then maybe you’ll be extra cautious and won’t be paying for the maintenance of a city that is tiny in comparison to their speeding fines.
William Cormier
