New invoice would impose harder penalties on Georgia highway racers

The legislature proposes a strict punishment for road racers

Some state lawmakers want illegal road racers to face tougher penalties, such as points on a driver’s license.

ATLANTA – – Georgian lawmakers are considering harsher penalties for road racers across the state.

On Wednesday, a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee discussed the Jaye Mize Law, which is named after a DeKalb County woman. According to her family, Jaye Sanford was killed in an accident that resulted from road racing.

“Our laws need to be strengthened as this activity is growing in popularity,” said Senator Emanuel Jones.

How does SB10 work?

Jones said more needs to be done on FOX 5 to tackle road racing across the state. This is why Jones introduced SB 10, which gives road racers tougher penalties. It would also require special registration for high performance cars often used by road racers.

“You should know that the State of Georgia is very serious about this because not only will the drivers of these cars be punished, but we’ll also look at the organizers and those who do.” actively participate, “said Jones.

Legislators heard about the bill from several people at a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Wednesday. Sanford’s mother-in-law spoke to the subcommittee about her daughter-in-law who was killed and expressed support for the law.

“It’s not a racial problem. This is a problem of life. This is a growing crisis,” said Bobbie Sanford.

Senator Jones said he made changes to the bill after speaking with community stakeholders. Organizations such as the Southern Center for Human Rights have urged FOX 5 lawmakers to reconsider the further implementation of this law.

“There is no version of this law that will increase penalties or create new crimes that we will ever accept,” said Marissa Dodson, the Southern Center’s public policy director.

What if SB10 is successful?

If passed, the bill would impose increased penalties on drag racing. As of the current state of the bill, a first offense would result in a mandatory $ 1,000 fine and six driver’s license points. The South Center said the state already has laws that criminalize drag racing and creating more laws won’t solve the problem.

“We’re asking lawmakers to be thoughtful and creative here, and maybe we need a study committee. Maybe we need to study this and bring in the experts,” Dodson said.

The subcommittee did not vote on SB 10 on Wednesday, but it is likely that the subcommittee could take it back or refer it to a regular committee.

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