OHTA.ca

OPP radar trap clocked me doing 135 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the 401 eastbound right around Cornwall as I was driving to Montreal. It was after 9pm, and pitch black, so I didn't see him sitting in the center median area until right as I was passing him and he turned his lights on. He also gave me an "obstructed plate" ticket for my clear plastic cover on the rear license; I've had one for 7 yrs, and no one has ever mentioned anything about it. I think a simple warning would have sufficed, or if he asked, I would have removed it right then and there...it was a surprise when he came back to the car and handed me a $110 "obstructed plate" ticket.

Although I live in TO right now, I am relocating to the US very soon, so even if I could make it out to Cornwall to request a trial date I doubt I could make a first attendance/trial in the future (although I am still considering hiring a paralegal to book a trial for me and taking a chance on whether I can get to the trial from the US). Does anyone know if this conviction would impact insurance rates in the US? Also, would really appreciate some opinions as to whether you all think it would be beneficial to hire some paralegals to fight the ticket. Given that this is Cornwall, if the best they could do is bring the speeding ticket down to 15-29 km/h over, then I will still have a conviction either way and it would potentially impact my insurance. Also, I'd have to pay the fine as well as the paralegal fees which would probably bring the total cost well in excess of $375 on the original charges, with the same outcome.

Thanks all in advance,

Cruzer

I'm not quite sure about your insurance but most US states have a reciprocal agreement with Ontario to share traffic convictions and reflect them on your licence.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia (41 states).

Not sure how up to date this is but you get the idea.

Decatur wrote:I'm not quite sure about your insurance but most US states have a reciprocal agreement with Ontario to share traffic convictions and reflect them on your licence.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia (41 states).

Not sure how up to date this is but you get the idea.

I believe only New York and Michigan exchange conviction information with Ontario, the rest on your list simply share suspension information for unpaid fines. So if you fail to pay a fine in any of the above States, your licence here in Ontario will be suspended. If the fine is paid though, it won't show on your record unless it was from New York or Michigan.

Not sure if an Ontario conviction would effect your US insurance. When you exchange your Ontario licence for a US one, you'll likely have to provide a driving abstract showing all of your convictions. Might not hurt to schedule a trial for some date after your U.S. licence is obtained, that way you'll have a clean abstract. Just make sure to pay the fines if convicted to avoid getting suspended.

Probably your safest bet would be to contact the DMV for whatever State your moving to, ask if Ontario convictions show on their licence, then follow up with a US insurance provider.

Having relocated from Canada to the US and back to Canada myself, here's the run-down... Basically when you go to exchange your driver's licence, almost every DMV/licensing office will check with MTO for convictions and unpaid fines. It is true that Ontario traffic convictions will show up on your driver licence only if you are from New York or Michigan, however, this is not the case when you go to exchange your licence... unless the conviction occurs after you've done the exchange. In that case, I'd hazard a guess that it would only turn up if you fail to pay your fine.

If you get convicted before the licence exchange, I can tell you that it will almost certainly affect your US insurance rates. I've found that many American insurance carriers are considerably more freaked out about speeding tickets than their counterparts in Canada. One other piece of advice about US insurance, since I had to go through this myself a few years ago: Many US insurance companies will not recognize your Canadian driving experience, and will either require a crushing mountain of evidence of your driving history, or will simply treat you as a "new" driver. (Read: Prepare to pay through the nose.) Progressive, however, DOES recognize your Canadian driving experience, or at least they did when I was there... so might be worthwhile talking to them first. (Ordinarily I would not publicly endorse an insurance firm, but given that you are leaving Ontario, I figure that might be helpful.)