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Atlanta woman demands Georgia lawmakers crackdown on super speeders, drag racers

Erica's Law would impose harsher penalties for reckless driving, but lawmakers say compromise and larger discussions are needed to address an ongoing issue

ATLANTA — An Atlanta woman is demanding Georgia lawmakers crackdown on super speeders and drag racers. It's an issue we've covered for years and it nearly cost Erica Pines her life.

Pines said she relies on a caretaker, a wheelchair and a walker to get around. However, she's making progress months after doctors gave her a 50 percent chance to walk normally again. 

Pines's life took a swerve and a different path on I-75 back on July 28. She said someone driving over 100 miles per hour hit her. The crash left her ankle shattered, and she underwent several surgeries. 

"All of a sudden, I see what appears to be a bullet train coming across lanes," Pines said. "I'm traveling this way, the car is just coming this way. I was just sucked inside the car because of all the airbags, so my first gut instinct was I need to breathe. I was absolutely terrified." 

Pines said the perpetrator paid a fine and had a history of reckless driving. She's calling for more to be done to stop future incidents involving hectic behavior while driving. 

“All of our lives were just disrupted immediately to figure out how to best care for me, what type of equipment I need, 'How do I need to change up the house? What adjustments do we need to make?'" Pines said. “You’re endangering the lives of everyday people who are simply trying to get from Point A to Point B in a law-abiding fashion. Our roads are not meant to be speedways. You cannot continue to endanger the lives of others simply because you want a thrill.”

Pines inspired Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Waites to support legislation called Erica's Law to crackdown on super speeders, reckless drivers and drag racers. The proposed legislation calls for a five-year license suspension for a first offense, a 10-year suspension for a second offense and a lifetime license suspension for a third offense. 

“Essentially what it says is, driving is a privilege," Waites said. "For individuals engaged in high-speed driving, do donuts, drag racing and street racing, any type of dynamic that will put the public at large in danger, there will be extreme penalties to pay. Dire times require drastic measures, and this particular tool is nothing more than another opportunity for the law enforcement community to keep us all safe.”

State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle could consider the legislation starting in January, but it's likely such harsh penalties won't be adopted and there would likely be compromise and bipartisan support to find solutions. 

"This has plagued the city, it’s plagued the metro region for a while," State Rep. Stacey Evans (D-Atlanta) said. "Maybe it’s not a five-year suspension, but certainly less than what’s on the books right now. Because what we have right now is clearly not deterring people from acting so recklessly on our streets.”

Evans said enforcement may be difficult when it comes to enacting legislation to combat street racing and super speeding. Two years ago, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bipartisan law implementing stiffer penalties for promoting and engaging in street racing and super-speeding. 

"Not everything can be solved with legislation," Evans said. "We will do our part with legislation to try and clamp down on this reckless behavior, but I think we’ll need to rely on others in law enforcement and the community to help us make sure we bring these folks to justice.”

Georgia Senate Majority Whip Randy Robertson (R-Harris County) said changes in law enforcement and chase policies have possibly led to more instances of street racing and reckless driving. Robertson wants there to be a longer conversation to take into account the consequences of what happens when perpetrators are caught. 

"When someone comes through there moving at those kinds of speeds, I tell everybody in those investigations physics wins every time," Robertson said. “If you’re in rural Georgia, your automobile is the way you have to get around. If you’re in metropolitan Atlanta and other places, there’s public transportation, other things like that. Unless there’s some kind of temporary license offered for work and school during those five years, your life pretty much comes to a standstill.”

Pines hopes as she makes progress in her recovery, lawmakers make progress in helping to prevent potentially deadly incidents involving reckless drivers. 

"If I was in a situation because of an accident, I would probably be able to sleep better at night," Pines said. "But because this was an incident of someone using our roads recklessly endangering the lives of others for a thrill, I don’t consider this an accident. I consider this a tragic incident. But to be given another chance at life, or continued life, means a lot to me.”

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