Georgia speed limits and key traffic laws

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state Georgia's default speed limits for different road types.
• You can explain the Super Speeder fee.
• You can say when you must stop for a school bus in Georgia.
• You can follow the Move Over and keep-right rules on multi-lane roads.
• You can name places where passing is not allowed on two-lane roads.

What you need to know and understand

• Unless signs say otherwise: 30 mph in urban or residential districts, 35 mph on unpaved county roads, 70 mph on rural interstates, 65 mph on urban interstates and multi-lane divided highways, and 55 mph elsewhere.
• A Super Speeder conviction (75 mph or more on a two-lane road, or 85 mph or more on any road) adds a $200 state fee on top of the court fine.
• Breaking a regulatory speed limit in a work zone can bring a fine of $100 to $2,000.
• Slower drivers must move out of the left passing lane when faster traffic comes up behind.
• On a two-lane road, passing is banned within 100 feet of a railroad crossing, bridge, viaduct or tunnel.
• Unlawfully passing a stopped school bus carries 6 points.

Default limits and speeding fees

The Georgia Drivers Manual lists general maximum speeds that apply when no other limit is posted. Local governments, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety can set different limits, and school zones and work zones often have lower limits at certain times. Always obey the sign you can see.

If you are convicted of speeding at 75 mph or more on a two-lane road, or 85 mph or more on any road, you are a Super Speeder. The state adds a $200 fee to whatever the local court charges, and not paying it on time leads to a license suspension and a $50 reinstatement fee.

Driving too slowly is also an offense if it holds up normal traffic. Impeding traffic carries 3 points.

School buses, work zones and Move Over

• School buses: yellow flashing lights mean the bus is about to stop, so slow down. Red lights and an extended stop arm mean stop. On two-lane roads, roads with a center turn lane and four-lane roads without a median, traffic in both directions must stop. Only on a divided highway with a median can opposite traffic keep going, carefully.
• Addy's Law (2024) made passing a stopped school bus a more serious offense with higher fines. For drivers under 21 a conviction also means suspension.
• Work zones: watch for orange signs. Obey flaggers, whose signals carry the same authority as a regulatory sign, and yield to work vehicles with amber lights.
• Move Over: when an emergency, sanitation or utility vehicle is stopped on the shoulder with flashing lights, move over a lane if you safely can. If not, slow below the limit and be ready to stop.

Passing and keeping right

On a two-lane road you may only pass where the line nearest you is broken, and you must be fully back in your lane before oncoming traffic is within 200 feet. Passing is banned on hills or curves where you cannot see far enough, on the shoulder, and within 100 feet of a railroad crossing, bridge, viaduct or tunnel.

Georgia's Slow Poke law says that on multi-lane roads you must move out of the left passing lane when faster traffic approaches, whatever speed you are doing, except in limited cases such as turning left or heavy traffic. Never speed up while someone is passing you.

Common mistakes

• Assuming 55 mph everywhere outside town. Interstates and divided highways have different defaults, and posted signs always win.
• Driving past a school bus on a four-lane road with no median. Without a median, both directions must stop.
• Staying in the left lane on the interstate because you are at the limit. The law still requires you to move right for faster traffic.
• Treating orange work zone signs as optional. Work zone speeding fines can reach $2,000.

Test yourself: Georgia speed limits and key traffic laws

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Georgia Third Party Road Test at a Driving School
• Georgia 40-Hour Supervised Driving and the Parent/Teen Guide
• Georgia ADAP and eADAP