Professional Traffic Ticket Representation: Defending Major Charges Including Distracted Driving, Failing to Move Over, and More

Question: What should I do after being charged with a major traffic offence in Ontario that could raise insurance rates or lead to a licence suspension?

Answer: After a major driving charge, MuskokaCriminal.Law™’s Ontario Criminal Defence Team can review the allegation, your driving history, and the likely outcomes like fines, victim surcharges, demerit points, insurance hikes, and possible licence suspension, then help you choose a defence strategy and next steps for court.   Getting advice early can also help you avoid missteps with paperwork, disclosure, and statements that could weaken your position.

Providing Strategic Defence Advocacy

A major offence, especially when combined with minor infractions or other major charges, can lead to steep increases in insurance rates and, when accompanied by prior convictions or multiple infractions, the possibility of licence suspension due to demerit points as well as large fines. It is important to have a professional review of the potential consequences as well as the case specific facts and the applicable defence theory options, upon receiving a charge for any major driving offence.

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.