Professional Traffic Ticket Representation:

Question: What should I do in Ontario if I’ve been charged with a serious traffic ticket and I’m worried about higher insurance rates, demerit points, and a possible licence suspension?

Answer:   If you were charged with a major traffic offence in Ontario, Sharda Paralegal can help you understand the likely consequences (fines, surcharges, demerit points, and potential licence suspension) and prepare a defence approach focused on reviewing disclosure, assessing risks, and using effective hearing strategy to aim for the best possible outcome; call to get started with a free initial consultation. We provide no public services offered at current time, but our Ontario-focused traffic defence assistance is available across the province, including Mississauga, Peel Region, Oakville, Bolton, Vaughan, Orangeville, and Toronto, and we can also help you identify which facts and questions matter most when dealing with witnesses and courtroom process so you are better positioned before your court date.

Providing Strategic Defence Advocacy

Facing a major charge, whether alone or in conjunction with other offences, can result in substantial insurance increases. Additionally, when multiple charges or prior convictions are involved, the risk of licence suspension due to demerit points rises significantly, as does the fines. For these reasons, a detailed analysis of the legal implications and potential consequences is crucial to understanding the stakes of a major charge.

Protecting Against Significant Consequences

Generally, upon conviction for a major traffic offence, a driver is subjected to significant fines and surcharges as well as the likelihood of significantly increased insurance rates for three years.  Depending upon the prior conviction history for the driver, there is also a potential for a licence suspension, among other consequences.

Factors Tending to Aggravate Penalties

The affects of conviction for a major driving offence can be significantly further aggravated:

• When a driver was previously convicted within the past three years on another charge;
• When a driver is on the cusp of having accumulated too many demerit points and this latest major charge now puts the driver at risk of a licence suspension, among other penalties; and
• When a driver is required to maintain a good driving record as a condition of employment.

Conclusion

Traffic tickets of the major charges type pose serious consequences involving substantial fines plus victim surcharges as well as demerit points that may be the straw that breaks the camel's back resulting in a license suspension.  Additionally, a major charge may result in substantially increased insurance rates including the potential for loss of access to standard insurance market and substitute placement into the highly priced Facility Association.

Accordingly, when charged with a major traffic ticket offence, hiring a professional who knows how to question witnesses, especially which questions to ask and which questions to avoid, and who knows the law, knows the paperwork processes and courtroom procedures, and knows how to make judicially persuasive arguments on the applicable legal principles, is highly important.