A driver in Georgia who was pulled over for speeding was understandably shocked at the high price of his ticket: a whopping $1.4 million.
And his shock turned to disbelief when he called to report what he thought was a typo, only to have an official tell him to pay up or show up. ""'$1.4 million,' the lady told me on the phone," said Connor Cato, who had allegedly been driving 90 mph on a 55-mph road in Savannah.
"I said, 'This might be a typo' and she said, 'No sir, you either pay the amount on the ticket or you come to court on Dec. 21 at 1:30 p.m.'"
It turns out, the outrageous fine was actually a "placeholder" that a judge would adjust after Cato made an appearance in court. Why the city didn't think to simply put a question mark or a variable like X on the ticket — or even better, how about the fine itself? — is anybody's guess.
From 10News:
In Georgia, there's a "Super Speeders" fine imposed on drivers hitting speeds of 75 mph or higher on 2-lane roads or 85 mph or faster on other roads and highways …
Since he was in Savannah, which enforces court appearances for drivers exceeding 35 mph over the speed limit, and fines are determined by a judge …
Joshua Peacock, the spokesperson for Savannah's city government, clarified to the Associated Press that a fine cannot surpass $1,000, in addition to state-required expenses.
"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 AP.
He added that the court is presently making efforts to modify the placeholder language to prevent any future misunderstandings.
