If you are facing traffic offences & violations, you need a criminal defence lawyer in Toronto to look at your case as soon as possible.
Traffic offences are violations of provincial legislation, and do not result in a criminal conviction or a criminal record. That being said, serious traffic offences can result in significant fines, driving suspensions, and in some circumstances, even jail.
In Ontario, traffic offences are found in the Highway Traffic Act.
Strategic Criminal Defence is a top Google-rated criminal defence firm in Toronto, with over 500 5-star reviews. Our firm, and our experienced legal team, have defended clients in over 10,000 criminal cases. Leveraging our extensive network of lawyers and decades of experience, we craft defence strategies to help those accused of traffic offences & violations beat the charges.
The lawyers at Strategic Criminal Defence are both highly experienced and dedicated to defending your rights and future in the face of these charges. Contact a Toronto Traffic Offence & Violation lawyer today by calling (647) 986-8077.
Key Takeaways
- Most traffic offences are provincial violations under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, not criminal charges, so they don’t create criminal records or criminal convictions
- Demerit points range from 2-7 points per offence
- Legal defences include Charter rights violations during traffic stops, challenging accuracy of speed detection equipment, and medical emergency circumstances
- While not criminal, traffic violations significantly impact insurance rates and driving privileges
- A Strategic Criminal Defence lawyer can attend traffic court on your behalf, negotiate with prosecutors, challenge evidence, and protect your rights during proceedings
How can a Traffic Offence & Violation lawyer in Toronto help?
Whether you just received a speeding ticket or are facing a more serious driving violation, our lawyers can help.
- We can check your ticket for mistakes, talk to the prosecutors about lowering your fines or charges, and even go to traffic court for you, usually without you having to be there.
- We can get important evidence for technical defences as well. Such as, police dashcam footage, maintenance logs for breath testing devices, or video from the scene.
The most important thing is that our lawyers know how to navigate the complicated rules of traffic court. This won’t make you miss important deadlines or chances to win your case. We can ask police officers about what they saw during the hearing, question the accuracy of speed detection devices, or argue to protect your Charter rights when they are violated.
Examples of Traffic Offences & Violations
You might see these traffic violations like this in Toronto:
- When you drive faster than the speed limit you are committing the offence of speeding.
- Driving while using your phone or eating can be charged as a distracted driving offence.
- Not stopping at stop signs means not coming to a full stop when required and is another traffic offence.
Consequences of Traffic Offences & Violations
For certain traffic offences, you can receive 2 – 7 demerit points. You start out with zero demerit points, and then you can gain them if you are convicted of certain traffic offences. You can even gain demerit points if you are convicted of traffic offences in other Canadian provinces, New York, and Michigan.
If you collect 2 to 8 demerit points, you will be sent a warning letter. If you collect 9 – 14 demerit points, your driver’s licence could be suspended. With 9 – 14 accumulated points, you may receive notice of a ‘demerit point interview’, in which you will have to provide reasons why your licence should not be suspended.
If you receive 15 or more demerit points, your driver’s licence will be suspended and you will be asked to surrender your licence.
Since demerit points are applied automatically upon being convicted of a traffic offence, you cannot appeal a demerit point suspension. That is why you must address each traffic offence as it arises, before the accumulated demerit points result in a suspension.
One of our skilled criminal defence lawyers can review the evidence in your case and assess how to best address your traffic offence.
Traffic Offence & Violation Defences
If you are charged with a traffic violation, you may have a number of legal defences. We can help you figure out which of these defences may apply to your situation.
Here are potential defences:
- When Toronto police stop cars and issue them tickets for certain traffic violations, they have to follow certain rules to respect your Charter rights. You might have a defence if these rules weren’t followed correctly in your case.
- There are a lot of different ways for the Toronto police to check speed, and each one can have its own problems. Having evidence of incorrect speed detection offers another possible defence.
- If you break a traffic law while you’re in a real medical emergency, like a heart attack, a severe allergic reaction, or a woman in labour, you might have a defence.
