Traffic tickets happen; whether you were fighting speeding ticket Ontario just 10km over the limit or failed to come to a full stop at the stop sign, the ticket you receive can be expensive. Even worse, traffic tickets can sometimes have a detrimental impact on your driver’s licence with suspension or demerit points and insurance. When you’re pulled over and handed a ticket, your instinct may be to pay it off right away and move on. That may be the easiest course of action, but it is certainly not the most practical.
What should you do instead? Defend your charges:
Before You Fight It
Upon receiving the traffic ticket, it’s crucial to read over the information on it and understand your rights, what the ticket is for and other details. You should also ask yourself the following:
- Will this traffic ticket impact my driver’s licence by adding demerit points?
- If so, will the demerit points suspend my licence or lead to additional consequences?
- Will this impact my insurance and cause my rates to increase?
- Will this ticket stay on my driving record?
- Do I have the right/grounds to fight this ticket?
What To Know If You Decide To Fight It
It’s essential to know that Fighting Traffic Tickets Ontario does not guarantee you’ll win and pay no fines. However, more often than not, the fines may be reduced, dropped or the demerit points will not be applied. Fighting your charges will require you to go to court and if there is a hearing, you will have to plan your case. The traffic violations to consider fighting include:
- Suspended driver’s licence
- Impaired/careless driving
- Distracted driving (ex: texting, talking on a device while driving)
- Leaving the scene/failing to remain
- Past criminal driving charges
- Highway traffic act charges
- Driving through/not fully stopping at red light ticket
The potential benefits of fighting the charges can be extremely satisfying and worth the process. Some of the advantages and potential outcomes to fighting the ticket can be:
- Charges completely dropped: The best case scenario when fighting the ticket is having the charges dropped completely. This may be the result of an inaccurate police officer’s review of the situation or your ability to prove the inaccuracies in court. In addition to dropped charges, demerit points and additional penalties will be eliminated.
- Reduced fines and/or penalties: You may be able to get penalties and fines reduced if unable to have them dropped completely.
- Stop insurance rates from increasing: If you fight the ticket and it gets reduced, this could help your insurance rates from increasing and allow them to stay at the current rate.
- Keep driving record clean: Fighting it and having charges and penalties dropped allows your record to remain clean.
It’s always worth it to try for the best possible outcome for your traffic case. At Bulwark Legal Services, we work to assist you in this process to defend your charges and eliminate the stress associated with it. Our effective paralegal Kitchener services will support and defend you every step of the way. Contact us today for a free consultation to fight that conviction!
