[Universal_Magnetic]

Originally Posted by CRS

Hiring someone to represent you would be stupid considering the time and effort in hiring someone good will cause you more money than just paying the fine.

no, not necessarily. when you add up your potential increased insurance rates its not cheaper.

[MechUT]

I've never seen so much useless sentiment from some of you, when someone is genuinely asking for help from us!

First off, the legal system is far more than just being about the pure pursuit of guilt and innocence, so whether you committed the offense or not is really not important.

Do not select guilty and pay the fine, or guilty with an explanation. As one useful previous post suggested, select the "NOT GUILTY - I intend to question the officer's evidence" option.

On the day you are summoned to court, you need to arrive an hour early, and at some point before the trial starts (for you and about 20 other charged people) the crown prosecutor will give everyone a chance to plead guilty to a lower charge - this is your MINIMUM BENEFIT from taking your ticket to court. The lower charge is also what other replies were referring to when they were talking about reducing your demerit points and / or fine amount.

Usually, if you are lucky enough that the officer doesn't show up, the plea deal will be void and the entire charge will be dropped - but this doesn't happen often.

Google around for some court advice - it's out there - and familiarize yourself with the different lower charges you can ask bargain for - and try to find out their insurance repercussions.

I've been through the court system 4 times for similar issues (albeit not recently) and this is the best advice I have from my experience - I'm not sure if anything has changed in the past 4 years since I last went to court.
You quickly learn that it does not have to be a very intimidating place.

If you don't have the patience, confidence, time or skill to deal with this, call around for a cheap traffic paralegal - they're not doing much extra, but it's a couple of hundred dollars for someone else to deal with your problem for you.

Whether you hire one or represent yourself, it is in your best interest to fight this because:
1) Your insurance company MAY not care about this first minor offence, but if you have the misfortune to get another ticket in the near future, your rates are gonna JUMP.
2) I believe that this type of charge enforces the letter of the law, and not the spirit of the law. The police and courts are just doing their jobs, and as citizens we need to stand up for ourselves to balance it out, if you will.
3) I also think, from experience, that having no tickets is the best way to get no tickets. It may not always be true, but having a clean record is the best way to talk an officer out of giving you a ticket, or to talk a prosecutor into reducing / dropping the charge.

[A.Kon]

All you guys outside on Ontario don't know what you're talking about. The OP and all Ontarians should fight tickets! The cash grab of the OPP and insurance companies in Ontario is ridiculous.

If you don't fight tickets it hurt the chances of other people who are getting unfair tickets. Be courteous to your felow Ontarians and have everyone fight the ticket. The system in Ontario is stupid and it doesn't matter if you have a defence or not, or if you are guilty or not. What matters most is for the OP is that your insurance premiums don't rise from a normal rip off to an outrageous rip off.

You can pay a paralegal $300 to fight the ticket for you, but that's way cheaper than the potential $3000-$4000 per year increase insurance premiums if you get another ticket within the next 3 years.

Trust me - fight the ticket. I know too many people who pay through the nose for auto insurance or on facility insurance because of 2 or 3 minor tickets. Yes, even a 5 kph over the limit ticket can increase your premiums 300% in Ontario. I don't know about other provinces, but I'm pretty sure they make a lot more sense than Ontario. So whatever they are saying is not valid for you.

[Tonybest]

Originally Posted by Universal_Magnetic

no, not necessarily. when you add up your potential increased insurance rates its not cheaper.

3 points.. minor fault (failing to stop) never had another ticket... How can that make a significant increase in insurance fees?

If the OP is planning on getting more tickets, then maybe.

It is very sad to see how many would try to get out of a well deserved ticket.

Edit: didn't know that insurance premiums in Ontario can jump 300% after one or two minor tickets. Wow!

[02themax]

Originally Posted by MechUT

I've never seen so much useless sentiment from some of you, when someone is genuinely asking for help from us!

First off, the legal system is far more than just being about the pure pursuit of guilt and innocence, so whether you committed the offense or not is really not important.

Do not select guilty and pay the fine, or guilty with an explanation. As one useful previous post suggested, select the "NOT GUILTY - I intend to question the officer's evidence" option.

On the day you are summoned to court, you need to arrive an hour early, and at some point before the trial starts (for you and about 20 other charged people) the crown prosecutor will give everyone a chance to plead guilty to a lower charge - this is your MINIMUM BENEFIT from taking your ticket to court. The lower charge is also what other replies were referring to when they were talking about reducing your demerit points and / or fine amount.

Usually, if you are lucky enough that the officer doesn't show up, the plea deal will be void and the entire charge will be dropped - but this doesn't happen often.

Google around for some court advice - it's out there - and familiarize yourself with the different lower charges you can ask bargain for - and try to find out their insurance repercussions.

I've been through the court system 4 times for similar issues (albeit not recently) and this is the best advice I have from my experience - I'm not sure if anything has changed in the past 4 years since I last went to court.
You quickly learn that it does not have to be a very intimidating place.

If you don't have the patience, confidence, time or skill to deal with this, call around for a cheap traffic paralegal - they're not doing much extra, but it's a couple of hundred dollars for someone else to deal with your problem for you.

Whether you hire one or represent yourself, it is in your best interest to fight this because:
1) Your insurance company MAY not care about this first minor offence, but if you have the misfortune to get another ticket in the near future, your rates are gonna JUMP.
2) I believe that this type of charge enforces the letter of the law, and not the spirit of the law. The police and courts are just doing their jobs, and as citizens we need to stand up for ourselves to balance it out, if you will.
3) I also think, from experience, that having no tickets is the best way to get no tickets. It may not always be true, but having a clean record is the best way to talk an officer out of giving you a ticket, or to talk a prosecutor into reducing / dropping the charge.

Wow, finally a response that makes sense! Usually I go in and plead to a lesser charge and pay the reduced fine and receive lower demerit points. if you wan to get off completely get a traffic lawyer.

[MechUT]

Originally Posted by Tonybest

3 points.. minor fault (failing to stop) never had another ticket... How can that make a significant increase in insurance fees?

My cousin has a 20% insurance increase for one speeding ticket of 10km over. 10km over is so minor, it has ZERO points in Ontario.

Originally Posted by Tonybest

If the OP is planning on getting more tickets, then maybe.

I don't think the OP was planning to get the first ticket either. Think about what you just said - who goes out and PLANS to get a ticket? Sure, if you are engaging in reckless driving, substantial speeding, or something similar, you should expect a ticket eventually. But, if the Officer is in the mood, you can find yourself getting a ticket for something that is technically illegal but extremely common place. I'd say most drivers would break a law like this at least once a day.

Originally Posted by Tonybest

It is very sad to see how many would try to get out of a well deserved ticket.

To my previous point, a lot of tickets issued are not well deserved. I'd dare to say that most traffic enforcement charges make law abiding citizens feel like criminals, and usually for a charge so minor that several other motorists will be passing by, breaking the SAME law, while the officer is writing you the ticket. Go ahead - challenge this statement. I'm itching to dish out examples, but I don't want to completely hijack this thread.

[shagkie]

I recently got a ticket for turning left at an intersection where turning left is prohibited. I didn't do it intentionally because the sign was new and alot of people got caught off guard. I went to see the prosecutor and the guy just threw out the ticket without even asking me anything. He made a crack about something (I forgot what it was) and then just said I can leave

[A.Kon]

Originally Posted by shagkie

I recently got a ticket for turning left at an intersection where turning left is prohibited. I didn't do it intentionally because the sign was new and alot of people got caught off guard. I went to see the prosecutor and the guy just threw out the ticket without even asking me anything. He made a crack about something (I forgot what it was) and then just said I can leave

That happens often which is just one reason everyone in Ontario should be fighting tickets. I think a lot of JPs are retired citizens or retired lawyers or retired public servants. They are never ex-cops so these JPs usually lean towards common sense rather than stupid tickets that OPP issues. They also usually really hate ignorant cops just trying to meet a quota.

[Universal_Magnetic]

Originally Posted by Tonybest

3 points.. minor fault (failing to stop) never had another ticket... How can that make a significant increase in insurance fees?

If the OP is planning on getting more tickets, then maybe.

It is very sad to see how many would try to get out of a well deserved ticket.

Edit: didn't know that insurance premiums in Ontario can jump 300% after one or two minor tickets. Wow!

yeah its crazy. a $40 ticket can cost you hundreds of dollars over the next 3 years in an insurance premium increase.

[A.Kon]

Originally Posted by Tonybest

It is very sad to see how many would try to get out of a well deserved ticket.

Yea agreed some people deserve tickets, but the VAST majority don't. It's a major flaw I would hope that someone eventually would try to fix it.

Insurance companies shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of this highway robbery.

what's even worse is they take your premiums and give you such a hassle when you actually do need to make a legitimate claim and then rape you again on increased premiums the next year because you actually made a claim.

Do insurance companies in other provinces also ask about how many claims you made in the last 5 years when you switch insurance companies?

[OwnAge]

Originally Posted by CRS

Hiring someone to represent you would be stupid considering the time and effort in hiring someone good will cause you more money than just paying the fine.

I dont see how paying a fine and having a ticket, points and increased insurance is better or cheaper..

My paralegal took care of at least 8 tickets for me. Non of which went on the record. All were taken off.

[Universal_Magnetic]

Originally Posted by A.Kon

Do insurance companies in other provinces also ask about how many claims you made in the last 5 years when you switch insurance companies?

yes. not at fault claims will not increase your rates however it may negate a discount for being completely claims free for over 10 years or some ridiculous number most people wont get to.

not at fault claims though can affect your "status" with insurance companies. if for example a driver has been driving in canada for 20 years (clean record) but somehow has racked up 3-4 not at fault claims in his last 7-9 yrs, some with accident benefits, immediately it is categorized as a high risk client to some insurance companies. now they cant say NO to providing you with insurance or an insurance quote because there are no decline rules regarding not at fault accidents of claims, but what they can do is either send you an application, transfer you to another company, etc. anything that makes it harder for you to get insurance from them or turns you off from getting insurance from them, yes they actually DO NOT want your business. now maybe the only companies that will accept you wont have as good rates because they will take higher risk drivers and you can see yourself paying a higher premium.

if you want any more info or have a question just shoot me a pm

sorry to OP for getting off topic.

[MMOTION]

Originally Posted by dpwr

go file for a court date, that will take at least 6 months, then there's a possibility of cop not showing up...

+1

Anything involving demerit points, i would fight it in court.

[lay624]

Thank you everyone for advice. I've decided to fight the ticket, as i DID stop at the stop sign, but the officer claimed I stopped after the line. Now im deciding whether or not to hire a ticket fighter, as I dont think the JP will be convinced with a 18 year old pleading his case =\.

My other question is, any recommendations for a ticket fighter near markham or toronto?

[zuluZero]

Originally Posted by lay624

Thank you everyone for advice. I've decided to fight the ticket, as i DID stop at the stop sign, but the officer claimed I stopped after the line. Now im deciding whether or not to hire a ticket fighter, as I dont think the JP will be convinced with a 18 year old pleading his case =\.

My other question is, any recommendations for a ticket fighter near markham or toronto?

Good for you. I found this site to be a balanced source of information in the past, that should help you decide if you can handle it yourself:

ticket combat

[lay624]

Originally Posted by zuluZero

Good for you. I found this site to be a balanced source of information in the past, that should help you decide if you can handle it yourself:

ticket combat

Thank you very much!!

[bulldog_yyc]

Originally Posted by lay624

Thank you everyone for advice. I've decided to fight the ticket, as i DID stop at the stop sign, but the officer claimed I stopped after the line. Now im deciding whether or not to hire a ticket fighter, as I dont think the JP will be convinced with a 18 year old pleading his case =\.

My other question is, any recommendations for a ticket fighter near markham or toronto?

check pm

[DaRickSta81]

Originally Posted by 02themax

Wow, finally a response that makes sense! Usually I go in and plead to a lesser charge and pay the reduced fine and receive lower demerit points. if you wan to get off completely get a traffic lawyer.

+1 on this... I had like 3 speeding tickets when I was a teen (who knew a 3 spd Dodge Neon could do 150kph?) and every time I just went to court and talked to the Crown Attorney before the trial and they usually make u a pretty fair deal right off the bat (i.e. lower the offense to where there are no demerit points and just a fine).

But that was back in the late 90s... I don't know if it's different now with stiffer "zero tolerance" laws..

Good luck!

[Kelvin_mu]

I reside in Toronto, and I recently received a speeding ticket on the 401 near kingston (Driving back from Montreal, going 40 over). I applied for a court date, but my question is, do I have to make the trip all the way to Kingston to fight the court ticket?? Is there an alternative (besides hiring a paralegal in Kingston to represent me).

As a tactic, I also requested a translator for a super rare Chinese dialect. I'm hoping no one speaks that dialect in Kingston. This is my first time trying a tactic liek this, so not sure if it'll work. I know i'm abusing the system but heck, the government is robbing us all the time. We deserve a break sometimes.

[CRS]

Originally Posted by Kelvin_mu

I reside in Toronto, and I recently received a speeding ticket on the 401 near kingston (Driving back from Montreal, going 40 over). I applied for a court date, but my question is, do I have to make the trip all the way to Kingston to fight the court ticket?? Is there an alternative (besides hiring a paralegal in Kingston to represent me).

As a tactic, I also requested a translator for a super rare Chinese dialect. I'm hoping no one speaks that dialect in Kingston. This is my first time trying a tactic liek this, so not sure if it'll work. I know i'm abusing the system but heck, the government is robbing us all the time. We deserve a break sometimes.

I hope you realize that if you spoke to the officer in english (when you got pulled over) you're going to be hooped. And yes, you need to go to the court where the incident occurred.

[teamadobo]

Originally Posted by Kelvin_mu

I reside in Toronto, and I recently received a speeding ticket on the 401 near kingston (Driving back from Montreal, going 40 over). I applied for a court date, but my question is, do I have to make the trip all the way to Kingston to fight the court ticket?? Is there an alternative (besides hiring a paralegal in Kingston to represent me).

As a tactic, I also requested a translator for a super rare Chinese dialect. I'm hoping no one speaks that dialect in Kingston. This is my first time trying a tactic liek this, so not sure if it'll work. I know i'm abusing the system but heck, the government is robbing us all the time. We deserve a break sometimes.

I dont know but something about this post made me really laugh out loud. My buddies think im losing my mind.

[Kelvin_mu]

Originally Posted by CRS

I hope you realize that if you spoke to the officer in english (when you got pulled over) you're going to be hooped. And yes, you need to go to the court where the incident occurred.

You can just say at the time you filed for a court application, someone else was planning to represent you. But now it is not the case anymore.