Thousands of drivers violate tolls and use the metro Atlanta express lane system without paying. As many as 1,500 do it every day, according to Channel 2 Action News.
One Suwanee man is accused of neglecting his toll fees 942 times, the news station found. Matthew Whisonant owes nearly $100,000 in fines after he repeatedly used the I-85 express lane in Gwinnett County and did not pay for the trips.
Whisonant did not show up for an Oct. 21 administrative hearing before a judge, court records show. Because he missed the hearing, a judge ordered that Whisonant pay all $5,069.24 he owed in unpaid tolls for the trips, in addition to $23,550 in administrative fees and $65,940 in civil penalties.
That brings Whisonant’s total owed the state to $94,559.24, according to an order of default issued Oct. 23 by Administrative Law Judge Michael Malihi.
Georgia law allows for penalties up to $70 for each toll violation. Because Whisonant failed to pay his fines 942 times, Malihi imposed the maximum penalty for each violation.
Channel 2’s attempts to reach Whisonant were unsuccessful.
He was ordered to pay the full sum within 30 days or his vehicle registration will be suspended.
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