A US man was issued a Rs. 11.65 billion speeding ticket for exceeding the speed limit

Last month, a guy from Georgia (USA) was caught speeding along a motorway. He was given a $1.4 million (Rs 11.65 crore) punishment and instructed to pay it immediately or appear in court. On September 2, the Georgia State Patrol arrested Connor Cato when they saw him driving through Savannah at 90 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to the Daily Mail. A “super speeder” ticket, which is typically issued to anybody traveling 35 miles above the speed limit with a maximum fine of $1,000 (Rs 83,320), was what Connor had anticipated receiving. He rang the court, assuming it was a typo. The court acknowledged the sum and instructed him to pay it in full or show up in court. In an interview with WSAV, Connor said that the woman on the other end of the phone corroborated the figure of $ 1.4 million.

She said, “No, sir, you either pay the amount on the ticket or you come to court on December 21 at 1.30 pm,” when he answered, “This may be a mistake.

It was eventually discovered that the astounding sum listed as the fine was really a placeholder. According to Joshua Peacock, a spokesperson for Savannah’s municipal administration, the fine was created through e-citation software used by the neighborhood Recorder’s Court and automatically applied to Super Speeder.

Following Connor’s court appearance, which is required for superspeeders, a judge will determine the actual fine. The government official said that the sum was not intended to intimidate anybody into going to court. In the statement, he said that although super speeder tickets need an obligatory court appearance and do not carry a monetary fee when issued by the police, the programmers who created the software utilized the greatest number feasible.

The city has been using this strategy since 2017 and has been modifying the placeholder wording to prevent defaulters from becoming confused or alarmed.

Sneh Patel, a criminal defense lawyer who handled DUI-related offenses and traffic infractions, was outraged by the fee as well and said in an interview that he believed it was a clerical mistake when he was questioned about it. He continued by saying that he had never seen a misdemeanor fine be that high.

In Georgia, the maximum penalties for a misdemeanor traffic offense is $1,000 plus any required court expenses.

Sneh Patel further said that the fine will be $ 5,000 (Rs 4.16 lakh), which is for a misdemeanor of a serious and aggravating character. “The bond amount should now be pertinent to that, so for misdemeanor, you wouldn’t see bond amounts over $5,000, maybe $10,000 (Rs 8.32 lakh),” he said.

The lawyer said that the larger bail amounts are only used in situations involving more serious crimes, such as drug trafficking, murder, or severe assault, or when the defendant is anticipated to miss their next court appearance.