Professional Traffic Ticket Representation:

Question: What should I do next in Ontario if I’ve been charged with a major driving offence that could affect my licence, insurance, and demerit points?

Answer: If you’ve been charged with a major driving offence in Ontario, Defend-it Legal Services can help with a fast, case-specific review of potential consequences, available defence steps, and how a Paralegal may challenge evidence and paperwork to aim for the best outcome for your situation in court.  A major charge can mean higher fines and surcharges, increased insurance rates for years, and possible licence suspension from demerit points, especially if you have recent prior convictions or employment driving requirements.  If you want to reduce risk before it gets worse, call (289) 275-3513 for Paralegal Services, including strategic defence advocacy, plus related Paralegal-led Private Investigation, Background Searches & Fingerprinting Agency support where relevant.

Providing Strategic Defence Advocacy

Major charges, whether isolated or in combination with other offences, can drive insurance premiums higher and may lead to a lengthy licence suspension if compounded by previous convictions or too many demerit points. Significant fines are also likely. As such, it is essential to seek a thorough professional review of the legal facts, the possible outcomes, and the available defence strategies, for any major charge.

Protecting Against Significant Consequences

Upon conviction for a serious traffic offence, a driver is usually hit with substantial fines and surcharges, and the driver can also expect insurance rates to rise considerably for the following three years. A poor prior driving record may also lead to a potential licence suspension or additional penalties.

Factors Tending to Aggravate Penalties

The affects of conviction for a major driving offence can be significantly further aggravated:

• When a driver was previously convicted within the past three years on another charge;
• When a driver is on the cusp of having accumulated too many demerit points and this latest major charge now puts the driver at risk of a licence suspension, among other penalties; and
• When a driver is required to maintain a good driving record as a condition of employment.

Conclusion

Traffic tickets of the major charges type pose serious consequences involving substantial fines plus victim surcharges as well as demerit points that may be the straw that breaks the camel's back resulting in a license suspension.  Additionally, a major charge may result in substantially increased insurance rates including the potential for loss of access to standard insurance market and substitute placement into the highly priced Facility Association.

Accordingly, when charged with a major traffic ticket offence, hiring a professional who knows how to question witnesses, especially which questions to ask and which questions to avoid, and who knows the law, knows the paperwork processes and courtroom procedures, and knows how to make judicially persuasive arguments on the applicable legal principles, is highly important.