Speeding Fines and Careless Driving

CARELESS DRIVING

Careless driving in Ontario is one of the most serious charges under the Highway Traffic Act. It is a charge most frequently associated with car accidents. People guilty of careless driving must have driven “on a highway without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway.”

If convicted, you are liable for a fine no less than $200 and no more than $1000 and/or to a term of imprisonment for no more than 6 month. Your driver’s license may also be suspended for no longer than 2 years. However, there are coming changes to which will raise the fines from $200-$1000 to $400-$2000 respectively.

If you are involved in an accident and are charged with careless driving you need to contact a car accident lawyer Toronto immediately.  We will reduce your fines and possible even get the ticket withdrawn entirely. Please contact us to see how we can help.

In order to be convicted of careless driving certain principles must be adhered to:

The standard against which the defendant’s driving must be measured is not one of perfection. The driving of the defendant must be measured against a reasonable standard or skill, what an ordinary person would do.

A momentary lapse or a simple error in judgment is insufficient to justify a conviction for careless driving.

Where an accident has occurred, the fact that serious injury or death has resulted is not, except in unusual cases, relevant to an assessment of whether there has been a departure from the standard of care which would justify a finding of careless driving.

Mere inadvertent negligence will not necessarily support a conviction for careless driving. More than a bare act of negligence must be proven.

A conviction of careless driving carries a 6 demerit points. Demerit points stay on your record for 2 years from the date of conviction. You may also be required to attend an interview for the Ministry to assess whether or not your driver’s license should be suspended.

For more information, or if you require legal services, please contact us.

SPEEDING FINES

Speeding tickets are more than just a slap on the wrist. An accumulation of speeding tickets can dramatically impact your insurance rates, and in extreme cases, your insurance company may not renew your policy.

Most tickets carry demerit points, and for some speeding tickets your license may be suspended. Speeding 50km/h or more over the speeding limit yields an automatic 7-day driver’s license suspension and the impoundment of your vehicle.

How to Beat Speeding Tickets

Contrary to popular belief, if you have been charged with speeding, it does not necessarily mean that you will be convicted. Even though the evidence against you may be solid, trials for speeding tickets are mostly won on legal technicalities.