The fine can typically be up to $1,000, officials said. (Representative photo)
A man in the United States was left in shock after he was given a $1.4 million speeding fine for driving 55 km per hour over the limit. According to The independentConnor Cato was driving home on September 2 when Georgia State Police caught him going 90 mph in a 55 mph zone. However, although he expected a hefty fine, he was shocked when he was handed the seven-figure charge.
According to the newspaper, Mr. Cato contacted the court, assuming the $1.4 million fine was a typographical error. However, he was told he had to pay the fine or appear in court in December. I spoke to Savannah WSAV TVsaid Mr. Cato that city staff told him the fine was a “placeholder” generated by computer software.
“‘$1.4 million,’ the lady told me on the phone. I said, ‘This could be a typo’ and she said, ‘No sir, you pay the amount on the ticket or you come on December 21 at 1:30 hour to court. pm,” Mr. Cato said, according to the outlet.
In addition, a spokesperson for the City of Savannah explained that Mr. Cato was issued a placeholder fine, meaning he will never have to pay the large fine. The staggering figure was generated by e-citation used by the local Recorder’s Court and which is automatically applied to “superspeeders” – anyone caught exceeding the speed limit, officials explained.
The final fine can typically be up to $1,000, the official added. A judge will now determine the real fine during the mandatory hearing in December.
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“We are not issuing this placeholder as a threat to scare anyone in court, even if that person heard something different than anyone in our organization,” Joshua Peacock, a spokesperson for the Savannah city government, said, according to the New York Post.
“The programmers who designed the software used the largest possible number because superspeeder tickets are a mandatory court appearance and do not carry a fine if issued by the police,” he added.
Now Mr Cato must appear in court because he was still speeding. In the meantime, city officials said they are working to adjust the placeholder language in e-citations to avoid confusion in the future.
