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Local judges look to halt teen speeding
Published April 27, 2005
WALTON COUNTY — Judge Brad Brownlow has been watching the increase of speeding young drivers in counties west of Walton for years.
When he found out two of the three young Loganville men killed recently in a speed-related accident were involved in a Loganville probation program, and one was scheduled to be in his courtroom last Thursday, he felt challenged to do more to try and prevent underage speeding here.
“Now we are apparently seeing more of this coming to Walton County,” he said.
Brownlow, who was also familiar with the family of an 18-year-old Monroe woman killed in a car accident recently, has been calling on other municipal court judges and law enforcement officials to crack down on underage speeding.
And Branlow’s efforts are starting to draw attention.
“I know the concern that all of our public officials have for the public in general and for our youth in particular,” he said Friday, “and we want to send a message to our young folks that we care enough about you not to let you harm yourself if we can stop it.”
Brownlow believes courts in all of the cities in Walton County are going to be looking at speeders under the age of 21 with a more critical eye than they have in the past, he said.
“We’re going to look at them a little harder, we’re going to require more from those with speeding cases, even the low speeds,” he said. “And I say this definitely for Loganville.”
That means more scrutiny over each speeding case, more defensive driving courses and closer supervision of those put on probation for speed-related sentences.
“We’re going to just attack it a lot more aggressively at Loganville and I believe all the county will probably do it as well,” Brownlow said.
Brownlow’s efforts have been met with strong support.
“They better consider themselves warned if they’re going through Walton County,” said Rebecca Dally, Municipal Court Judge for Social Circle and Walnut Grove.
“They’d better slow down, because they will lose their license,” she said. “We’re not pre-judging our cases, but we are taking a harder view, and a harder line approach to speeding by youth in this community. Because it’s deadly.”
In Georgia, Dally said, speeders under 21 years of age going more than 24 miles over the speed limit automatically have their licenses revoked. Her court has sometimes reduced the charge in exchange for probation, defensive driving school or community service so drivers could keep their licenses.
“The court’s not going to do that anymore,” Dally said. “We’re not going to automatically let you keep your license and go to driving school and continue speeding the way you are, because it’s killing you. It’s killing you and your friends and other innocent people.”
At press time, Brownlow hadn’t yet formally contacted other local judges.
However, he had spoken with District Attorney Ken Wynne, who he said is supportive of Brownlow’s efforts — which will be key for consistency, as some defendants may try to circumvent municipal courts by going to superior court.
“We would like to get the message across that speeding kills,” Wynne said. “I think we’re going to take a harder look at these speeding cases and try to address that through the court system on any speeding cases that come up through our court system.”
Wynne added, “If those cases are bound over from Loganville city court, Monroe city court or Social Circle city court, those folks that ask for a jury trial in those cases can expect to receive some jail time if they are convicted in superior court.”
Brownlow said he wanted to remind young people that speeding cases are often accompanied with other charges like reckless driving or DUI and that they can carry a penalty of $1,000 fine and up to 12 months in custody.
“Speeding cases are going to get a lot more attention now because of the fact that we are seeing come to Walton County the kind of reckless behavior that we have seen across the other counties to the west of us,” Brownlow said. “We just want to send a message to our kids to slow down and live.”
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