Professional Traffic Ticket Representation:

Question: What should I do if I’m charged in Ontario with a serious (major) driving offence that could affect my licence and insurance?

Answer:   If you’ve been charged in Ontario with a serious (major) driving offence, VP Legal Services & Notary can help you assess the potential consequences, review the facts, and map out a defence strategy to reduce risk to your demerit points, licence status, fines, and insurance premiums, with paralegal and notary support through the Traffic Court process.   A major charge can increase insurance costs for years and, depending on your record, may contribute to licence suspension or other penalties, so the practical next step is to get a case-specific review quickly to challenge disclosure, scrutinize witness evidence, and prepare persuasive arguments based on what happened and what the law requires in your situation.   Call (437) 286-1499 today to discuss your options with a traffic matters-focused paralegal team in Ontario.

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

Drivers convicted of major traffic offences can expect large fines, mandatory surcharges, and insurance rate hikes that last up to three years. If the driver has a history of prior convictions, the chances of facing a licence suspension, among other penalties, increases significantly.

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.