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Careless Driving Charge – Should I Get Representation? (Ontario/Ottawa)
Have you been accused of careless driving? A careless driving conviction comes with serious consequences. In fact, the careless driving charge is one of the most serious offences in the Highway Traffic Act.
Careless driving is defined as driving a vehicle or street car on a highway without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway. Insurance companies consider careless driving a major offence, and a careless driving conviction can result in a fine, demerit points, license suspension, an insurance rate increase, and even jail time in serious cases.
The Types of Careless Driving Charges in Ontario/Ottawa
If you receive a careless driving charge in Ontario/Ottawa, you either receive a careless driving charge with a fine attached or a careless driving charge without a fine attached. A careless driving ticket with a fine attached carries six demerit points and a minimum fine of $325. If you pay the fine, you are automatically pleading guilty to the charge. Your insurance company will consider it a major offence and increase your insurance rates by as much as 100%.
A careless driving ticket without a fine attached is an automatic summons to court. In this case, you do not have the option of paying a fine and pleading guilty. You must attend court on the assigned date and time. If you are found guilty for the Ontario/Ottawa careless driving charge, you can face a fine of up to $1,000.00, a jail term of up to six months, license suspension for up to two years, and a probable insurance increase of 100%. In some cases, your insurance company may even refuse to continue providing you with coverage.
Fighting Traffic Charge – Careless Driving - Ontario/Ottawa
The good news is that the charge of careless driving can often be dismissed or reduced with proper representation. By hiring a paralegal to provide defense against careless driving charges, you can avoid the traps that your prosecutor will try to set for you and ensure that your charge is not proven.
If dismissal of the charge is not possible, a paralegal can have your careless driving charge reduced to a minor, less serious offence. However, if there is no solid evidence proving that you were driving carelessly, pleading guilty to a lesser offence is not necessary.
Bear in mind that so-called minor offences can carry as much as four demerit points. Moreover, pleading guilty to these minor offences can come back to haunt you later if you receive a traffic ticket or enter into a civil proceeding. As such, pleading guilty to lesser offences should be considered a last resort.
Considering what is at stake when charged with the offence of driving a vehicle carelessly in Ontario/Ottawa, spending a few hundred dollars on representation is worthwhile. After all, you could save yourself thousands of dollars in the long run. Contact us today for a free consultation to find out how we can get your Ontario careless driving charge dropped or at the very least, reduced to a minor infraction.
