Just got a call from the prosecutor and she tells me that the only thing she'll offer me tomorrow is to withdraw the charges if I enroll and complete a driver's education program. In all honesty I think I'm going to go with it seeing as how I can schedule the program around my work schedule and it basically makes everything go away. $110 ticket + Insurance hikes + 4 Demerit will almost certainly cost me more than the driver's ed.

However, I'm really curious because one of the things she mentioned was that I was observed following too close for 600m by the officer. At a rate of 40km/h (the posted speed limit) this means the officer claims to have observed me for 54 seconds before pulling me over. The road itself according to Google Maps is approximately 1km long between intersections (I was stopped according to Google Maps at around the 600m mark). So based on this I must have been observed following too closely since the intersection. There's one slight flaw in this case that this road is on a hill and there is really only 200m-300m visibility from my direction from where she was standing.

Had I not been offered the deal I was I have a feeling this could have struck pretty reasonable doubt into the officer's ability to estimate distance (overestimating by 2 to 3 times on such a large scale ).

Most driver ed courses are held on weekends, and consist of 4 in-class lessons (25 hours altogether) and 10 driving lessons, which you can schedule with the instructor according to your schedule. I took one. Helps insurance rates...

A quick question: how old are you? If you are a younger driver (<25), your insurance might actually decrease.

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"The more laws, the less justice" - Marcus Tullius Cicero
"The hardest thing to explain is the obvious"

www.OHTA.ca & www.OntarioHighwayTrafficAct.com

From looking online I believe there is a distinction between the "typical" driver's education programs and the one I would be taking. I found some programs offered by Young Drivers of Canada Driving School specifically for people who have been referred by the MTO because of traffic violations, which is what I assume I would be enrolling in. The course itself appears to be much lighter than the usual driver's ed (which I have already taken) and appears to only include 2 sessions from 9-1:30 that I should easily be able to work into my schedule.

You might call it the "Rules Refresh" course?

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http://www.OHTA.ca OR http://www.OntarioTrafficAct.com

Hmmm, very interesting, they referred you to Young Drivers. Those are the most expensive driver's ed courses I saw when I was looking for one. I ended up paying $500, when YD wanted $800 (for the dubious privilege of driving in a Toyota Camry instead of Chevy Cobalt, I think)

_________________
"The more laws, the less justice" - Marcus Tullius Cicero
"The hardest thing to explain is the obvious"

www.OHTA.ca & www.OntarioHighwayTrafficAct.com

Okay so I went this afternoon and got all the details. My assumptions were wrong that they would be sending me to young drivers (which would have cost $330), they are actually asking me to go to a specialized driver's course that specializes in skid control and accident avoidance. The total price to me should be around $400. Also as this seems to be a more specialized/valuable program in my eyes I believe it will be worth the extra money. In the end $400 to potentially make me a better driver + a squeaky clean driving record again seems worth it and to answer the earlier question I am still a young driver (<25).

And where is the down side to this, other then the unexpected $400 price tag?

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http://www.OHTA.ca OR http://www.OntarioTrafficAct.com

Hmm... insurance rates will probably go down due to specialized training, your record is unblemished, they withdrew the charge, and the $400 cost on this would've been less overall than the insurance increase + ticket if you'd been convicted. I'd say you did really well with this one.

I haven't heard of insurance rates dropping for skid control schools. It makes sense but....... I have been wrong in the past though....

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http://www.OHTA.ca OR http://www.OntarioTrafficAct.com

Well I did my course just yesterday and I have to say it was well worth the $395. I'd say I probably learnt a lot more useful things in that one day that I did in my numerous days of standard drivers education. I'm going to try sending off the certificate to my insurance company and we'll see if they do anything for me.

This is encouraging -- a frivolous charge that actually had a positive outcome! Plenderzoosh, you've made my day.