OHTA.ca

Traffic's going 5km/hr bumper to bumper. People celebrating and making noise on the street. I am also going 5km/hr and I overrev the engine a couple of times (clutch in), no burnouts or anything. And the cop gives me the careless driving charge? I did not put anyone else or myself in danger.. and at 5km/hr??? Is this a joke? I asked the officier like four times why he thought I was careless driving and he said you overreved the engine and that's not the proper way to drive and told me to save the arguments for the court?

Unnecessary noise, maybe, but careless driving?! Well... you should be able to beat this one. Revving the engine at a standstill (or at a snail's pace) might be considered obnoxious but it's not careless driving. I guess the best way to start off is to make a disclosure request and get the officer's notes on the incident. From there, you can start building a case to defend yourself.

Unless you did a standing burnout or peelout (which you didn't), I can't see this charge sticking in court. Main thing you want to show is that as far as manoeuvring the vehicle, with respect to traffic, pedestrians, etc., you were being careful and attentive.

Just make sure that, no matter what, you don't get a careless driving conviction stuck on your record. It will blow your insurance rates out of the water.

Its not Careless Driving, maybe unnecessary noise, but thats not what your charged with. I think that if you hire an agent who knows what there doing in Traffic Court that the charge should be dropped.