Professional Traffic Ticket Representation: Defending Minor Charges Including Speeding, Failing to Stop or Yield, and More

Question: Should I fight a minor traffic ticket in Ontario if I already have demerit points or recent convictions?

Answer: If another conviction could trigger a licence suspension, raise insurance rates, or affect your job, it can be worth contesting even a “minor” Ontario driving offence, and Hall Paralegal Services provides paralegal representation across Ontario to review your ticket, assess the evidence, and build a defence strategy.  Common situations include drivers with prior convictions within the last three years, charges within the last two years that increase demerit-point risk, or roles requiring a clean driving record.

Defending Minor Driving Offences

Individually, minor charges pose a relatively minor fine and little risk to a potential for significantly increased insurance rates or concern for a possible licence suspension for accumulating of too many demerit points.  Accordingly, in most circumstances, drivers charged with a minor offence will forgo the trouble and effort to fight a minor charge; however, there are some circumstances where a strong defence to a minor charge is prudent and warranted.

Providing Strategic Advocacy

The circumstances, among others, that may warrant aggressively defending minor charges include:

• When a driver was convicted within the past three years for other minor, major, or serious, charges and where another conviction, even for just a minor infraction, will result in significantly adverse affects;
• When a driver was charged within the past two years for other charges and the accumulation of demerit points now puts the driver at risk of a licence suspension, among other significant penalties; and
• When a driver is required to maintain a fully clear record as a condition of employment.

Although relatively minimal affects, generally, result upon conviction for a minor traffic ticket charge, a multitude of minor charges, or a single minor charge that will be combined with prior convictions, may result in significant adversity making a strongly mounted defence worthy in the effort to fight a minor charge.

Minor Charges Include:

Conclusion

Traffic tickets of the minor charges type may still pose significant risk to a driver with potentially serious consequences whereas a minor charge in combination with prior convictions becomes 'the straw that breaks the camels back' resulting in substantially increased insurance rates including possible loss of standard insurance market and placement into the 'Facility Association', potential license suspension for accumulating too many demerit points, among other things.  Accordingly, even for a minor charge, hiring a professional who knows how to question witnesses, including which questions to ask and which questions to avoid, and who knows the law and is ready to make persuasive arguments on the applicable legal principles, is highly important.  For representation that puts your best interests first, contact Hall Paralegal Services today.