Atlanta City Council is calling on the Georgia General Assembly to pass a bill that would create harsher penalties for dangerous drivers, including a lifetime driving ban for repeat offenders. If passed, it would target drag and street racers, drunk drivers and superspeeders, Axios reports.
The bill, known as Erica’s Law, is named after Erica Pines, an Atlanta resident whose car was hit by a driver racing another car who had previously been charged with reckless driving. Drivers convicted of their first offense would lose their license for five years, while the second offense would result in a 10-year ban. If a driver is convicted a third time, they would lose their license for life.
That’s certainly harsh, especially in a state with minimal public transportation even in many cities, but on the other hand, road deaths in Atlanta reportedly increased by more than 20 percent in 2022 compared to 2021. And in metro Atlanta, reckless, distracted and speeding drivers caused 20,000 more crashes each year more than they did a decade ago. So, at the very least, something’s got to change.
“This is simply a tool to keep the public-at-large safe and to send a very strong message that we are not going to tolerate this behavior within the city of Atlanta,” the bill’s sponsor, Atlanta City Council member Keisha Waites, told Fox 5 Atlanta.
State Representative Stacey Evans told the news outlet she supports harsher penalties for dangerous drivers but worries that Erica’s Law might be too tough to pass, saying, “I am supportive of looking for solutions. But, an immediate five-year suspension on a first offense is a hard pill to swallow. And I think would be a hard pill for the entire legislature.”
Evans likely has a point, as the Georgia General Assembly is controlled by Republicans, and as we found out recently, some Republicans believe it’s your God-given right as an American to speed or drive drunk even if thousands of people get killed in the process.