“What Are The Chances I Will Be Charged?”

Made a huge mistake. This morning, driving on double lane road and bus in front of me. Bus always pulls to side of road and cars in left lane can pass. The car in front of me in the left lane stopped. I honked for her to go and she did not. I drove around her (in a left turn lane). As I got out in front, I looked in my rear view and saw that the bus had the red lights on . This was completely new -- never in three years did the bus put its signals on.

No police officer stopped me and no police officer was around. Now I am paranoid that I will get ticketed. Any advice or experience out there? Do all bus drivers report this? Also, will the ticket be issued against the owner of the car or the driver, if no police officer was there?

Will they send a ticket by mail against the owner of the car (with no demerit points)? Or will they charge me personally too? Also, how long does it take for a ticket to come by mail? I am absolutely panicked!!!

Thanks.

This happened in Ottawa, if that is a factor.

We get about 10-12 bus driver initiated complaints a week. Not a great chance but the drivers really watch for it.

OPS Copper

The bus driver can complain to the police and provide the licence plate of your vehicle. In that case, the police can charge the owner of the vehicle, using the bus driver as a witness to provide evidence of the offence in court (if there is a trial). At that point it becomes the bus driver's word vs. the word of the person who defends themselves (the owner of the vehicle) and the case is decided on its merits.

A charge against the driver carries no points. Also, it seems very unlikely that the driver could be charged with the offence personally, as there is no way to prove who was driving the vehicle based solely on the evidence the bus driver is able to provide.

OPS Copper wrote:We get about 10-12 bus driver initiated complaints a week. Not a great chance but the drivers really watch for it.

OPS Copper

Dear OPS Copper,

Just wanting to clarify. Do you mean there is not a great chance that I WILL be charged? Or is there is not a great chance that I will NOT be charged -- in other words, that it is very likely I will be charged.

How long does it usually take for a charge to be laid based on a bus driver's complaint?

Thanks!

The police have 6 months to lay the charge. This is one of the few charges that can laid against the owner of the vehicle and not the driver. No demerits for the owner, 6 points for the driver. If the witness can identify the driver and the police are satisfied with the description then then driver will likely be charged. There is a form the province has created that the bus drivers can fill out and deliver to the local police. All they have to do is take that information and serve the owner with the summons, skipping the hassle of tracking down the driver.