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So.. here’s my simple little write up on what I’ve learned from this experience with traffic tickets and the system in Ontario. As you guys know (not sure if Jason knew) on June 6th I got pulled over for having an expired plate sticker and in the course of that, I got two more tickets for failing to show insurance and my ownership. Bummed out at the prospect of $250 in fines as well as possible insurance meltdown.. I started reading a lot.

As our resident insurance agent and some research taught me.. insurance doesn’t care about demerit points, they care about convictions. Convictions are categorized basically as minor and major convictions. Any weenie ticket, whether it be failure to show insurance card, disobeying traffic signal, no seatbelt, etc. will appear as a minor conviction. This is the same category as minor speeding. (up to 49km/h over the limit). Major convictions are failure to report accident, passing a school bus, driving without any insurance.. etc. and I don’t know if the following will be very effective on those.

Now, different insurance companies handle convictions differently, the majority forgive having a single minor conviction. Then after that it varies by company.. Meloche claimed three minors without a rate hike.. but I’m iffy on that.. some say 15% hike for two convictions, 30% for three.. etc. etc. This varies widely. The bottom line is that you don’t want any convictions on your record.

So here are the different things you can do, they work for minor traffic/speeding tickets. (this is completely with insurance in mind and does not have any regard for paying the actual ticket) :

First – you don’t want to plead guilty and pay it. You have a multitude of options and after you exhaust these options, the WORST thing that can happen in the end is you pay the original fine. The system relies a lot on intimidation to scare people into paying.. and admittedly it works.. the idea of going to court and being accused.. just feels.. scary.

Second – you don’t want to plead guilty with an explanation. For insurance purposes this is as bad as just paying the ticket. You’ll get convicted and then you’ll have the chance to ask the justice of the peace for an extension to pay the fine, or a reduced fine. So yeah you pay $65 instead of $115 on your ticket.. but you get jacked when it comes time to renew your insurance.

So.. within 15 days, you go the Ontario Provincial Offences Office.. and you go to the counter and you request to speak with the prosecutor, this is also known as a “Walk In First Attendance” appointment. You get a few forms to fill out and then wait (was a 1.5 hour wait for me) to go to another counter.

At this point you have not signed the back of the ticket or declared yourself guilty for anything.. so you still have all your options, you just go ahead and fill in the “Request for Walk In First Attendance Appointment” form and wait. The person at the counter will then process your request and direct you upstairs where you wait to see a prosecutor (took 10 minutes). You sit down with the prosecutor.. he asks for your tickets.. and then here.. you try to negotiate ticket reduction or dismissal etc. In my case it was really easy.. he asked for valid registration/ownership and then asked why I didn’t have it on me. After that he just said alright, all the tickets are withdrawn.. and that was that.

Now.. from my research.. this is what comes next (no guarantees):

If you fail to come to agreeable terms, then you’ll fill in the other form you got.. which is your intention to have an actual court trial. Fast forward to your court date.. you’ll have another chance to meet with the prosecutor in the “pre-trial” and again you’re able to negotiate with him for lesser charges etc. If again you don’t come to agreeable terms.. you go to trial. If the cop doesn’t show.. you’re ticket(s) are withdrawn and you’re free to go. If the cop is there.. you’ll go into court, the evidence will be reviewed.. and at this point if you have nothing.. you can just plead guilty and pay the fine (or maybe negotiate for a lesser fine, I’m not sure).

Either way you get 3-4 chances to dismiss and/or reduce your tickets.. and the worst case is just the same as picking option 1 of paying the ticket.

Soo.. that was my experience.. and man.. I must have saved $2000 in tickets/insurance just now.. time to.. buy..