Hello friends, I Received my first speeding ticket after driving in Ontario for over 6 years and I am looking for some advice/help. It was my bad luck that I was caught speeding on a 40 zone and the Officer said that I was doing 60 which means I would get 3 demerit points. What is the best way to handle this ? If I choose to engage the services of a lawyer, How much would be the normal standard charges for the lawyer and other court charges ? Are there lawyers who would charge only on winning the case ? If I lose the case and get 3 demerit points, how much would my Insurance go up and for how long ? Should I take Option 2, meet the Prosecutor and request not to impose the demerit points - what are the chances that they would oblige ? If I choose Option 3 - request a trial - how long it will take ? Thanks for your reply Much appreciated.
Hello friends,
I Received my first speeding ticket after driving in Ontario for over 6 years and I am looking for some advice/help.
It was my bad luck that I was caught speeding on a 40 zone and the Officer said that I was doing 60 which means I would get 3 demerit points.
What is the best way to handle this ?
If I choose to engage the services of a lawyer, How much would be the normal standard charges for the lawyer and other court charges ?
Are there lawyers who would charge only on winning the case ?
If I lose the case and get 3 demerit points, how much would my Insurance go up and for how long ?
Should I take Option 2, meet the Prosecutor and request not to impose the demerit points - what are the chances that they would oblige ?
If I choose Option 3 - request a trial - how long it will take ?
Yes, there are many paralegal services out there that will fight this ticket for you but if you have the time you can probably fight it on your own. You don't have to pay anything extra to request a trial as court costs are already built into the fine itself. Also there are many paralegal services that charge only upon "winning" the case but you have to realize that "winning" by some of their definitions is any reduction in the fine not necessarily getting the ticket thrown out. So if you do choose to go the paralegal route you might want to ask how far they will fight it for you. In terms of what will happen to your insurance nobody can tell you what will happen as different insurance companies treat different offenses in different ways. For example some insurance companies will forgive a couple minor tickets every couple of years before you see any rate increases while others may not. You should be aware that insurance companies will usually have the ticket on your record for about 3 years whereas demerit points are off your record in 2 years. I'm not sure you fully understand your options currently as option 2 usually refers to pleading guilty with an explanation which you DO NOT want to do. This option is essentially the same as pleading guilty and doesn't actually involve trying to strike a deal with the prosecutor. In order to schedule a meeting with the prosecutor to try and strike a deal you will have to plead not guilty. You probably won't have any problem getting the ticket knocked down to 15km/h over on your own and that carries no demerit points and a smaller fine (this is also the deal many paralegal services will get you). In terms of how long it will take to go to trial this really varies from municipality to municipality. This can also work in your favour as you can potentially get the charge thrown out for unreasonable delay. As for what you should do right away start will sending in the ticket requesting a trial and then send a disclosure request to the prosecutors office. Details for how to file disclosure and how to fight the ticket in general can be found on http://www.ticketcombat.com. Disclosure basically gives you access to all the crowns evidence against you and lets you decide how you want to go about defending yourself. Hope this helps, let us know if you have any questions.
Yes, there are many paralegal services out there that will fight this ticket for you but if you have the time you can probably fight it on your own. You don't have to pay anything extra to request a trial as court costs are already built into the fine itself. Also there are many paralegal services that charge only upon "winning" the case but you have to realize that "winning" by some of their definitions is any reduction in the fine not necessarily getting the ticket thrown out. So if you do choose to go the paralegal route you might want to ask how far they will fight it for you.
In terms of what will happen to your insurance nobody can tell you what will happen as different insurance companies treat different offenses in different ways. For example some insurance companies will forgive a couple minor tickets every couple of years before you see any rate increases while others may not. You should be aware that insurance companies will usually have the ticket on your record for about 3 years whereas demerit points are off your record in 2 years.
I'm not sure you fully understand your options currently as option 2 usually refers to pleading guilty with an explanation which you DO NOT want to do. This option is essentially the same as pleading guilty and doesn't actually involve trying to strike a deal with the prosecutor. In order to schedule a meeting with the prosecutor to try and strike a deal you will have to plead not guilty. You probably won't have any problem getting the ticket knocked down to 15km/h over on your own and that carries no demerit points and a smaller fine (this is also the deal many paralegal services will get you).
In terms of how long it will take to go to trial this really varies from municipality to municipality. This can also work in your favour as you can potentially get the charge thrown out for unreasonable delay.
As for what you should do right away start will sending in the ticket requesting a trial and then send a disclosure request to the prosecutors office. Details for how to file disclosure and how to fight the ticket in general can be found on http://www.ticketcombat.com. Disclosure basically gives you access to all the crowns evidence against you and lets you decide how you want to go about defending yourself.
Hope this helps, let us know if you have any questions.
Excellent Plenderzoosh. Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. So I guess that I dont need to have a paralegal fight my case. Anyways how much do they normally charge ?
Excellent Plenderzoosh. Thank you so much for the detailed explanation.
So I guess that I dont need to have a paralegal fight my case. Anyways how much do they normally charge ?
I got ticket for failing to stop at stop sign in Toronto. i heard that the police officer must see the stop line, if there is one, from where he was sitting. That is exactly my case, Is it a strong case? If so do i need a picture to show that there is a stop line and a picture to show that he could not see the stop line from where he was sitting?
I got a ticket, Disobey stop sign, sec 136.1.a on dec 6th
I made a left in an intersection and was pulled over by a police officer in an unmarked car who had been sitting down the road. A classic fishing hole situation. I was genuinely surprised when he stopped me and told me I went through a stop sign without even slowing down. I know to shut up and be polite and take the ticket. I…
Yesterday morning, I rear-ended someone. I was going the speed limit. The sun was directly in front of me and it blinded my windshield and my eyes. At the same time, the person in front of me stopped/slowed down (also due to the sun). I started to slow down but didn't stop and I hit them since I couldn't see anything. I was not driving too close initially. I…
I was driving in the county at night and hit a limousine stretched out side ways across the road. The limo had its lights on and had side lighting as well. The police officer charged me with careless driving because it was "fully lit up".
It took me to the next day to figure out what had happened - what I remember made no sense. What I had run across was a "false visual reference" illusion.
I was on hwy 37 trying to make my girlfriends ganadmas mass and I live an hour away and I had an hour to get there so I was going fast but not 50 over untill some idiot got on my tail soo close that I was to concentrated on him that I kept going faster untill I got pulled over at 147 on an 80 km hwy.
I alreaddy lost 3 points and this time was just the…
Hello, got stopped today for rolling a stop sign. Ticket says failure to stop, but quotes hta 1361b.
Doesn't 1361b mean failure to yield?
Is this a fatal error? Or could it be amended at trial. How can I prepare a defence if I don't know if I'm defending the failure to stop or the failure to yield?
After he was providing me with a ticket for failure to obey to the stop sign (I am pretty sure I stopped but less than 3 seconds recommended by my driver ed. instructor), I know everybody say that..as an excuse.
Then he stopped me again to return the documents.
Any advice and feed back would be really appreciated.
Can you get evidence for whether someone had an advanced green at an intersection? My dad was making a right turn on a red (after stopping) into a plaza parking lot. He got hit by someone making a left turn from the opposite lane. The driver told the officer called to the collision that he had an advance green. My dad said he came out of nowhere which makes me…
So i was driving on Eglinton Avenue East near Rosemount Ave.
The school bus was on the the curb on the opposite side of the road while i was travelling on the middle lane of the three-laned Eglinton Avenue East (five lanes apart plus a raised median island seperating the traffic)
I could not see the school bus as my view of the bus was being obstructed by the cars in front of me and on my left hand…
Lots of good information on getting disclosure from the Crown here.
Now, I am just wondering if I will be relying upon evidence of my own at trial... do I have to voluntarily send this material to the Crown in a reasonable time before the trial, or only if they request disclosure from me?
This morning I had an exam for university. I was studying the entire night and i wanted to catch like maybe 1-2 hours of sleep before the exam so i went to sleep. I woke up like 5 hrs after and realize that I was about to miss my exam. I still could have made it so I asked my dad for his car since I was in a huge rush and he gave it to me.
I went on the highway and I was going at 135 km/h but…
the police officer was in in the opesite oncumming lane he was fallowing another car so close that i was not even able to see his cruser till he was buy he said that i was going 111 in a 80 he said he hade me on radar he only asked for me drivers licencs and never asked for my insurence so on the ticket there no insurence dose enyone think i can beat this i wana take it to cort becuse he was…
Hi I have a couple questions so I'll explain my situation and any advice would be appreciated.
Can't remember exact date so lets call it some time in 2008 I got a fine for $5000.00 for driving without in insurance. I never paid the fine and in 2012 I was pulled over and the officer asked to see my license. Although I had it on me I figured it would be under suspension for the unpaid fine from…
Alright, so I did something really stupid the other day, I was driving down a country road and wanted to hit the curves so I passed 3 cars at once, inadvertently making it up to very much past 50 over (80 limit)... Much to my chagrin there was a cop coming in the opposite direction who immediately skidded on the gravel shoulder and who I thought was 100% going to turn around and pull me over,…
Anyone know how backed this courthouse is? I submitted my ticket for trial at the end of August, and still no letter. Im scared it got lost in the mail, can i call the courthouse and find out my courtdate? Or would i have to go in personally?
I recently received a ticket for failure to use low beams - while following - Ticket was issued Sec 168 (
- it was on the 401 and no one was within 500 meters of me, I was warning a oncoming vehicle that there was an officer hiding (which is not illegal or I could not find a law against it) it was a police vehicle travelling at very high rate of speed in the opposite direction with no lights on…
I received a warning letter from MTO for a 2pts ticket.What happened is that the police officer issued a "unsafe left turn" and then changed the ticket to "failed to signal" at the scene, but she submitted both tickets!!! And I !!!ONLY!!! received the latter ticket from her(I requested trial for "failed to signal"). I recently received notice from MTO that I'm convicted for "unsafe left turn".
Hello everyone! I was given a ticket for using a hand-held communication device while driving. It was 3 am, I was at a stop light and the cop saw me with the my phone in my hand. I told him i was just checking the time on it. I received the notes a few weeks ago ill copy them down below. Any help is appreciated although i believe there's no hope for me. The cop recorded me saying what phone i…
I got pulled over about 15 or so days ago the court till this date has not received the summons what is the legal time period that the court has to follow to accept the summons from the office court says its 15 days is the legal timeframe the officer has to serve it on the court
I requested for disclosure of information two months ago.
I received the radar manual after one month, but not others (including maintenance/calibration record of the radar, certificate of police training). On further pursuit, the prosecutor told me that he did not have them and he did not see why I needed these documents. He said he did not know where to get them when I asked.
Last Friday I was pulled over by an OPP motorcycle cop who informed me I was going 134. I was on the SB 404, I did see him parked under a bridge and when I passed him he was not on his bike.
I'm hoping to get some insight for a defense in this case.
I was in lane 1 and I had a car in front of me, and a car behind me, also there was a car speeding down Lane 3 passing everyone and moved quickly into…
