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

Question: What are the potential consequences of being charged with a major driving offence?

Answer:   Conviction for a major driving offence can lead to hefty fines, mandatory surcharges, increased insurance rates, and the risk of licence suspension due to demerit points.  By consulting with Vagans Legal Services Professional Corporation, you can navigate these complexities and explore defence options, helping to mitigate the serious impacts on your driving record and finances.

Providing Strategic Defence Advocacy

Major charges, whether individually or when combined with other minor or other major offences, can lead to significantly higher insurance premiums. When paired with other charges or past convictions, there is also the risk of licence suspension due to an accumulation of demerit points, along with hefty fines. A thorough professional assessment of the potential consequences, the relevant facts and the applicable defence theories, is essential when dealing with a major driving offence charge.

Protecting Against Significant Consequences

A major traffic offence conviction generally brings about heavy fines and surcharges as well as the likelihood of significantly higher insurance premiums lasting for at least three years. For drivers with prior offences, there is also a risk of licence suspension and other 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.