Toronto Traffic Ticket

There are ever so many ways of breaking the law while driving a car.  Some are minor infringements and others are more serious.  The rule of thumb is that the more dangerous it is to human life, the more seriously it is taken and the higher the penalties and punishments. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances, and no danger to anyone involved, and people feel that the traffic ticket should not have been issued.
If you have in some way transgressed, you probably need to get good advice about whether the traffic ticket you received is really deserved or whether there is anything you can do to reduce the fine or other penalty.

The traffic laws are roughly categorised into the following groups:

Traffic sign violations:

 

These are incidents of disobedience to the written or marked out instructions that you see on the roads, and they include:

Ignoring traffic sign boards; stop signs, yield signs, no overtaking signs, etc.

Ignoring red lights; Beating traffic lights when the lights are changing;

Overtaking and changing lanes when the solid painted lines indicate that it is dangerous to do so.

Parking the vehicle in areas marked as no parking or no stopping areas. Leaving your car parked in a parking area when the meter has expired.

Speeding:

 

Breaking the speed limits or Racing:

Not slowing down in indicated areas, such as near schools and parks. If a child runs out into the street unexpectedly, the driver of the car that hits is held responsible, even if it is the child's own fault.

Not showing caution when there are lots of pedestrians, near bus stops and at railway level crossings, ignoring warnings about animals in proximity to the road.

Hazardous driving.

 

Talking on a cell phone while driving unless it is the special ‘hands free' mobile phone set.

Driving without wearing safety belts or allowing passengers inside to be without safety belts.

Unsafe vehicle.

 

This includes any car or tyre defect that is not allowed for safe driving.

DUI.  Also known as ‘impaired driver'. This may refer to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but it could also refer to a driver driving without glasses if he is supposed to wear them, or a disabled driver driving a car that is not adapted to his special needs.

Most drivers who break the traffic laws receive a traffic ticket and have to pay a fine.  In certain cases, such as when a driver has an illegal alcohol level, or driving in such a reckless way that he or she is deemed dangerous, or if the car is deemed unsafe, the driver could be taken into custody.  Offences which result in arrest normally lead to much more severe penalties and may earn demerit points or even result in you losing your driver's license.  Repeated offences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, stunt driving, and racing frequently result in heavy fines and even a jail term.  These are considered to be criminal offences.