Professional Traffic Ticket Representation: Defending Major Charges Including Distracted Driving, Failing to Move Over, and More

Question: How can a paralegal help me fight a major traffic offence charge in Ontario to avoid licence suspension and insurance increases?

Answer: Paladin LLP provides Ontario paralegal services for major traffic offence defence by reviewing the charge, disclosure, and evidence, identifying defence theories and Charter issues, and preparing a strategy for negotiations or trial to reduce or withdraw charges, limit demerit points, and help protect your licence and insurance.   Because major convictions can trigger heavy fines, victim surcharges, and multi-year premium hikes, getting an early assessment of the likely penalties and options for resolution can materially improve outcomes.

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

Conviction for a major traffic offence typically results in substantial fines, mandatory surcharges, and significantly increased insurance premiums for a period of three years. If the driver has prior convictions, there may also be a risk of licence suspension, along with other potential 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.