Georgia’s new Super Speeder Law sounds like a great idea on the surface. Come Jan. 1, a portion of the Super Speeder Law imposes an additional fine of $200 for all drivers cited for driving 85 miles per hour or more on a road or highway, as well as anyone driving 75 mph on any two-lane roads.

The Department of Driver Services must send written notice to a customer within 30 days of its receipt of a super speeder citation.

If the customer does not pay the citation within 90 days, he or she is subject to a license suspension of indefinite duration until he or she pays the fee plus a reinstatement fee of $50.

This legislation is expected to generate approximately $23 million in Fiscal Year 2010, which Gov. Sonny Perdue has recommended be spent funding the state’s trauma-care system.

The Super Speeder Law sounds like a winner. It targets motorists traveling at high rates of speed. It raises more revenue for the state’s cash-strapped coffers. And the money will go toward trauma care.

As noted in a recent headline in The Valdosta Daily Times, drivers should beware come 2010, but we agree with concerns raised by Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine. Taxpayers and law-enforcement should beware, too.

Prine said he believes violators who drive excessively over the speed limit should face stiff penalities; however, the additional fine may be too much of a burden considering the current state of the economy.

“Driving anywhere from 75 to 85 mph when the speed limit is set at a lower speed already results in a fine that ranges from $500 to $1,000,” Prine said. “What concerns me is whether people can afford to pay the state an extra $200. I do not condone people exceeding the posted speed limit, but I do feel it is a little bit harsh.”

Prine added that more people will probably appeal their citations because of the fee, causing more deputies to be tied up in court.

“We need to keep as many deputies as we can out patrolling the streets and keeping the community safe,” Prine said. Taxpayers still pay law-enforcement officers for their time in court. So, while the state may gain more money, local agencies may lose money paying for officers’ court time. The Super Speeder Law may just be the latest rush by lawmakers to fill coffers without considering the potential harm to both the citizens and the government representatives charged with enforcing the law.

Haste makes waste. Could the Super Speeder Law be the latest governmental policy to waste more taxpayer money?