Ontario Highway Traffic Act

The suspension wont be negotiable.

Any handheld device conviction now comes with a 3 day suspension for fully licensed drivers on a first offense.

Only way around this is to be offered a reduced charge that isn't handheld device. Problem is they don't typically offer a reduced charge because there is no lower equivalent.

If you explain your financial situation, they can stretch out the payment over the course of several months rather than one immediate payment.

It sounds like the driver was letting you through by withholding the stop sign. When you stopped, he waived you through rather than making you wait (maybe it's a busy drop off point.)

You don't have anything to worry about.

The fine and demerit points aren't the problem. The insurance is. Long story short, Careless Driving falls into the 'serious' bracket. These are the worst offenses you can be charged with. Any serious conviction and you run the risk of being booted by your insurance provider. Either that or you will pay enormous rates for the next couple years ...

Either or will work.

Early resolution will get you a quicker date, though.

You can probably expect anywhere up to a 50% reduction.

Can an officer sit on private property and give you a ticket for something you did on public roads? Yes.

The issue of being on private property is between the property owner and the officer. It has no bearing on your ticket.

1. Should I contest the ticket? I have read posts here, and I fear that I might not have much to stand on. Advice is appreciated


This is a question that can be answered in thousands of words with different scenarios.

The short answer is most of your everyday charges are worth contesting. That doesn't mean you'll end up having a trial. Best ...

First thing to know here are the charges are still valid. Failure to surrender is not the same as not having. It means an officer requested and you were not able to provide upon that request. Finding them later is not proof against the charge. The charge is different for not having any insurance at all and you wouldn't be driving away.

Lets say ...

It basically means mudguards aren't required unless they are required.

If the fenders, rear bumper, or body does what a mud guard does then they are not needed.

It's up to the individual laying the charge to make the call. There is no guidelines for this particular charge. Much like window tint or exhaust noise, it's up to the officer to decide.

There's nothing at an early resolution meeting that you can't do yourself.

All you're doing is attending and deciding whether or not to accept any potential deal. That's pretty much it. They aren't interested in hearing anything else. Either yes or no. If no, then they will book you a trial date.

There is little harm in attending an early resolution without the aid of hired help.

They may or may not make you an offer (they most likely will). If you don't like what you hear, you can always proceed to having a trial at a later date.

This is one of those situations where you probably want to take a reduction and run. Any other offense is ...

You can try scheduling an early resolution and explain how the cover was removed right away. They might cut you some slack, but at the same time they aren't under any obligation to just let it slide. If you got some free time, it's worth a shot.

Good luck.

The process is a lot easier for school bus drivers rather than street car drivers. In the case of a school bus, you can be charged as the owner and all that is really needed is your plate number and a driver willing to report you. The same can't be said for a street car.

This is one of those things where an officer will almost have to be there to ...

Would accepting this plea only be a 49 over charge (minor speeding/section 128) with the said fine + points and nothing else? I just wanted to try to clarify before accepting it.

If the offer is 49, it will be treated no different than as if you were pulled over for 49km over. If you're a fully licensed driver, that would mean a fine per km over ...

It will not show up on a criminal record. You should have no issues with future jobs.

It will show up on your driving abstract as an administrative suspension. However, the reason for the suspension will not be listed.

Officers will also probably be aware of the offense if they pull up your name.