Georgia sends mixed signals to drivers

Wed. Oct. 8, 2014

In March, the Georgia legislature passed a law (HB459) making it illegal to drive the speed limit in the left lane if the person behind you is coming up faster than you. So you can get a ticket for driving the speed limit if you are holding up people who want to break the speed limit. They claimed it was to make driving safer by avoiding road rage by drivers who think they should not have to obey the speeding laws.

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20132014/HB/459

Governor Deal signed it April 15, 2014.

http://gov.georgia.gov/documents/hb-459

A few days ago, Sun. Oct. 5, the state Department of Transporation (DOT) activated variable speed limits on part of I-285 and raised the speed limit from 55 to 65.

http://www.dot.ga.gov/travelingingeorgia/Pages/vsl.aspx

Georgia DOT continues to look for cost-effective, innovative ways to address traffic in the metro Atlanta region. One of the most congested roads in metro Atlanta is the northern half (called the “Top End”) of I-285. The “Top End” is the 36 miles on I-285 within Fulton, Cobb and DeKalb counties, north of the I-20 interchanges. To help relieve congestion and improve safety on that corridor, the Department will implement Variable Speed Limits (VSL) on the Top End of I-285 beginning October 2014. ​

VSL are speed limits that change based on road, traffic, and weather conditions. Electronic signs slow down traffic ahead of congestion or bad weather to smooth out flow, diminish stop-and-go conditions and reduce crashes. This low-cost, cutting edge technology alerts drivers in real time to speed changes due to conditions down the road. More consistent speeds improve safety by helping to prevent rear-end and lane-changing collisions due to sudden stops. Our ability to remotely change the speed limit on the corridor is not intended to create speed traps. Rather, the changing speed limits are designed to create safer travel by preventing accidents and stop-and-go conditions.
Speed Limit Will Increase from 55 mph to 65 mph

This new limit will be consistent with a similar increase implemented on SouthSide I 285 last fall. Additionally, the new limit is more consistent with driver expectations and behavior on I-285.

So Georgia tells it's drivers that it's ok not to respect speeding laws, but it expects them to pay attention to the variable speed limit signs! I would be surprised if it works.