OHTA.ca

Hi I'm 20 years old, have had a clean driving record for the past 3 years with a G2 license, until a couple days ago I was slapped with a ticket for careless driving for an accident that happened about 3 weeks ago. It was along the downtown area along Dundas st E. I passed a slower moving streetcar from the right lane to make a left onto the DVP ramp I was about 3-4 car lengths before i overtook, signaled left and then slowly applied the breaks, even coming to a complete stop a little further up before completing the turn.

Right about after 3 seconds as I waited for an old lady with a motorized wheel chair to completely cross the street before i made the turn, I got hit hard. I didn't expect to get hit at all I was sure I didn't cut her off, She didn't blow the horn to alert me I was gonna get hit or signal to me that I have cut her off if that was the case. I was shocked and nervous didn't know what to do after the impact my sister and mom were in the car and luckily no one was hurt. A Policeman arrived on the scene after a couple minutes, interviewed me and some passengers that remained after the rest of the got off and transferred to another streetcar. He came back to me and asked me a couple more questions like how fast I was going, I wasn't sure about the speed but I know I wasn't over speeding but i gave an honest and approximate answer of 65 km/h. Long story short no one was hurt and only my dads car had a minor damage to the rear bumper.

After 2 hours the policeman said he had to further investigation (Streetcar Cameras) before completing an accident report and that he'd call me when it's completed. I picked up the police report on Saturday and said I was deemed at fault, saying hes spoken to multiple witnesses on the Streetcar and viewed the footage from the cameras on the Streetcar indicating I was traveling at a high speed cut her off and slammed the breaks. Me being the naturally timid person I am even though I disagree about the accusations made towards me I just said okay officer as he handed me a ticket for careless driving and a fine of $470 he asked if I had any further questions? I said no and left.

I don't want to plead guilty because I don't feel I was driving carelessly and I was just recently aware of how greatly this conviction can affect my life regarding careers that require you to drive.

Sorry for the long story but what should I do here?

On the back of the ticket you received for Careless Driving (the yellow page, not the white), there are three options on there. Read through the options, and if you feel that the charge of Careless Driving is not applicable, then take it to trial.

You can either represent yourself, or hire a paralegal. In either case, you will want to make a request for disclosure (your paralegal will do this on your behalf should you hire one), at which point you can see what kind of evidence has been collected and will be tendered against you. From there you can make a much better and informed decision.

At the very least, take the ticket to trial and speak with the crown and try to arrange for a plea deal- something that is reduced fine/demerit points, so they can register a conviction that is less damaging than a careless charge.

Oh, a quick question..... what part of Dundas St. E. were you on (closest intersection)

I would get a hold of the video, it seems to be the main source of the charge. Review it and go from there. This charge is very serious and you may want to consult with a paralegal............... there is a form at the bottom of the page.

BTW was the fine $470 or was it $490?

total payable was 490