Driving Tip #85 — Get a Peach Pass.
If you are going to be driving on I-85 in Atlanta a lot, it is probably a good idea to get a Peach Pass. It will save you time and money.
Have you ever sat in the gridlock of rush hour (7:30-10:00 AM, 3:00-7:00 PM) traffic in Atlanta wishing you could ride in the swiftly-moving HOT lane? Probably the reason you are not in that lane is because you refuse to pay tolls to drive on a road when paying the toll is optional.
I get it. I don’t drive in the HOT lane (aka, Peach Pass lane) most of the time. But sometimes I do. And when I do, I realize that it was well worth the initial $30.00 total investment to get Peach Passes for our two vehicles.
We purchased Peach Pass stickers more than four years ago. In that time span, we have spent a total of $2.65. Yes, less than $3.00 spent in four years, and we have driven in the HOT lane many times with both of our vehicles.
Here’s the key: only use the Peach Pass when you are traveling with three or more people in your vehicle. When doing so, you can legally turn your Peach Pass to Non-Toll Mode using the Peach Pass Mobile app or by logging onto the Peach Pass website before you start on your ride.
When you turn your Peach Pass to Non-Toll Mode, then riding in the HOT lane is totally free. Yep, free. $0. No cost. Nada.
Of course, if you are in the Peach Pass lane illegally (i.e., no Peach Pass) or if you have your Peach Pass in Non-Toll Mode but you have less than three people in the vehicle, then should a safety patrol officer spot you, you will receive a traffic violation, one that you would deserve. So don’t do that.
So, get a Peach Pass, grab some friends every time that you want to drive on I-85 in Atlanta, and cruise past all of the vehicles stuck in traffic gridlock. And when you are able to be more productive at work or arrive at the fun event earlier, and you are not burning fuel idling in traffic, you will see that the Peach Pass really does save you time and money.
There is one other reason that we decided to get a Peach Pass. If there were ever a medical emergency or similar situation, we would hate to be stuck in congested traffic or worried about getting stopped for driving illegally in the Peach Pass lane. In such a case, paying the amount of the toll would be well worth the expense.
One important note: I don’t work for the state of Georgia nor do I get any compensation for this post. I’m just a satisfied customer.
Other questions about Peach Pass? Here’s their FAQ Page.
Happy driving everyone!
Thank you, Derek! Now … how do we avoid the traffic gridlock on Dacula Road while travelling from Harbins to HBC on Wednesday nights? 🙂
That’s a great question.
That Peach Pass sounds very much like the EZ-Pass we have up here. It works on all the tolls from NY to DC. And we pay a vastly reduced amount for the tolls. For example, the George Washington Bridge toll is $15 if you pay cash, about $5 if you use EZ-Pass.
And in another posted you mentioned variable speed limit signs. Study after study has proven speed itself isn’t the issue, it’s change in speed that causes most accidents.
And left lane – well the only time I go there is to get past a line of what I term stupidity on the highway. And the speed limit that drops to 45MPH on the Pawtucket S curves, I ignore it. I’m usually doing 70MPH.