“It's Really About Time That A Forum Like This Exists”

I really want to commend the creators of this forum. I have been driving for over 10 years; I learned to drive in Montreal. People always say how Quebec drivers are nuts, but really, while I lived there, I very rarely saw or read about, or knew about any major accidents.

I came to Ontario a little over 3 years ago, and I have noticed that the traffic enforcement is about 10 times as organized and as frequent as in Quebec. Not to say that there isn't a legitimate safety concern - because there is - but the degree to which the various levels of government crack down on high way traffic offences in this province, might suggest that there are other motivations beyond highway security and safety.

The fact is that this province collects millions of dollars and many counties and municipalities thrive off of this revenue. Accordingly, it's up to citizens to organize themselves to understand their rights when charged with an offence, and to educate one another on how to drive more safely and to know the rules of the road.

Yes, it's important to police driving behaviours to encourage safe conduct. However, there are many problems with HTA enforcement in Ontario.

* Is it necessary that virtually every time there's a fender bender that someone is charged with some kind of offence (often they are over charged with careless driving as a way to coerce guilty pleas to lesser offences even when it's just an "accident").

* Is it necessary to regularly target people who are speeding 130km/h on low-volume, straight, dry highways as opposed to people who drive only 20km/h over the limit even when such speed is too fast for the road conditions, the weather, or the volume of traffic? (the reality for this is that it's much harder to mass produce tickets for the latter, and much easier for the former, but it's obvious what is objectively more dangerous)

* Is it right that the police regularly reduce people's alleged speeds at the roadside only to (with the help of the crown prosecutors) threaten the accused person at Court that if they contest a trial (a democratic right), that they will have their speed increased back.

* Despite the fact that the POA Judiciary (Justices of the Peace) is generally quite professional and yet some times judgments are still rendered against accused persons when there is what, in most Criminal cases, would be considered a "reasonable doubt". Is there a culture that people charged with tickets are presumed guilty by the Province and its institutions.

These questions, and the answers to them, should be thoroughly explored, and this message board is the place to do it.

Don't just pay your next ticket. Come here and discuss it before you decide what to do.

David Anber

Law Student &

President of DynamicLegal Solutions

(The best choice for traffic ticket defence -- ok I had to plug myself once in this message )