Should I just pay my Ontario traffic ticket, or fight it?
Paying a Highway Traffic Act ticket is a guilty plea that registers a conviction, demerit points and an insurance record — a not-guilty request often produces a reduced charge with no points.
Paying the fine on an offence notice is a plea of guilty. The conviction goes on your driving record, demerit points are applied, and insurers price the record for three years — frequently costing far more than the fine itself.
Filing a not-guilty request within 15 days sends the matter to an early resolution meeting or trial. Prosecutors regularly resolve speeding charges to a lower rate or to an offence carrying no demerit points, particularly where disclosure is incomplete or the officer's notes are thin.
Stakes rise sharply for commercial drivers, novice licence holders and stunt driving or careless driving charges, where a conviction can mean licence suspension, vehicle impoundment or CVOR points against the carrier.
Source: Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 · Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33
This work is handled by Gagan Pannu (Criminal defence). Read more about criminal defence at VK Law Group, or send us the facts and we will tell you where you stand.
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