I recently got pulled over and was given two tickets at the same time. One for failing to stop for yellow light, and the second a speeding ticket (minor ticket)

My questions I have are:

1) If I pay the fines for both, does this count as two convictions (for insurance reasons)

2) If I want a first appearances court, do I specify that I want a trial and check the box that indicates that I want the officer present?

3) How are failing to stop - yellow light charges to defend? any tips/suggestions.

Thanks!

1. You will get two convictions on your record.

2. Yes to both questions.

3. Fail to stop for amber... it depends on how well you can testify in court, how well you prepare your defence, etc. Usually if a person gets up and makes a convincing case that they were unable to safely stop their vehicle, took their foot off the gas, checked all ways and proceeded with caution, it is hard to convict. It usually goes better when the defendant starts asking the officer if they're familiar with the handling of the vehicle, what its braking capabilities are, etc. Doesn't always work, though. In your case, because you also got a speeding ticket, it might be harder to convince the Justice of the Peace that you truly "proceeded with caution," unless you happened to slow down as you approached the intersection.

Thanks for the quick response!

I'm not sure if my insurance TD Meloche Monnex will increase my rate for 2 minor convictions or not (clean record as of now) so I am debating to get a paralegal to try and negotiate one of the charges to be dropped (not reduced!) so that the impact on insurance will be less (if any).

Any other suggestions for dealing with multiple tickets at the same time? I couldn't find too many instances using the search.

Thanks again

Your TD Meloche Monnex insurance will likely increase. I recently signed up with them and I had a minor speeding conviction from 3 years earlier (it was about 2-3 weeks before it wouldn't affect the premium). My rate was about $100/year higher than it would have been without the single conviction (or so they told me).

It will be very difficult to beat both charges but you may be offered a deal where they will drop one in exchange for a guilty plea on the other. If you decide to go that route it might be worth finding out which conviction would have the greater impact on your premium.

Of course you should choose the trial option and submit your first disclosure request - the 11B clock is already ticking and you might get lucky with evidence or a technicality.