“Forget About World Peace…Visualize Using Your Turn Signal.”
Tickets issued under the Highway Traffic Act, Insurance Act or Criminal Code appears on your driver abstract and affects your insurance rate.
Car insurance rates between auto insurance companies can vary by hundreds, even thousands of dollars. The easiest way to find which insurance companies offer the lowest prices is to do an online rate search. InsuranceHotline.com offers free rate searches for consumers. This article tells you the types of tickets that affect your insurance rate.
Ticket Classifications: Tickets are divided into 3 classifications: minor, major and serious convictions, which include criminal acts. All ticket classifications, regardless of demerit points, affect your insurance rate.
Parking Tickets: Parking tickets do not affect your driver’s license, insurance record or appear on your driver’s abstract. The only consequence of not paying a parking ticket means that your license plate will not be renewed. In other words, you will not be able to get your renewal "sticker" unless you pay for your parking tickets.
Minor, Major and Serious Convictions: Here’s a list of the ticket classifications and the various types of minor, major, serious, and criminal convictions that will affect your insurance rate:
Minor Tickets
- Crowding Driver’s Seat
- Defective Brakes
- Drivers License Violations
- Failing To Share The Road
- Failing To Signal
- Failure To Use Seatbelts
- Failing To Yield
- Failing To Yield To A Pedestrian
- Failure To Surrender Your License
- Failure To Produce Evidence Of Insurance
- Failure To Produce Or Carry Insurance Card
- Following Too Closely
- Headlight Offenses
- Improper Driving In A Bus Lane
- Improper Lane Change
- Improper Opening Of Door
- Improper Passing
- Improper Towing
- Improper Turn
- Improper Use Of Divided Highway
- Insecure Load
- Obstructing Traffic
- Overloading
- Use Of Radar Warning Device
- Improper Railway Crossing
- Speeding
- Stop Sign Infraction
- Traffic Light Infraction
- Trailer Passenger
- Unnecessary Noise
- Unnecessary Slow Driving
- Unsafe Move
- Unsafe Or Prohibited Turn
- Unsafe Vehicle
- View Obstructed
- Wrong Way On One Way
- Obstruction Of View
- Obstruction Of License Plate
- Driving without an up to date Inspection Sticker
Major Tickets
- Speeding 60 mph over posted speed limit (or set limit in your province)
- Failing To Report An Accident
- Failure To Report Damage To Highway Property
- All Insurance Offenses
- False Statement Of Insurance
- Operating Motor Vehicle With No Insurance
- Driving With No Insurance
- Produce False Evidence
- Driving In Contravention Of Restrictions
- School Zone, Improper Passing Zone
- School Bus, Improper Passing, Fail To Stop
- Speeding in a construction zone is double the fines and points
Serious & Criminal Tickets
- Driving Impaired, Blood Alcohol Over .08 (or set limit in your province)
- Careless Driving; Undue Care Or Attention
- Criminal Negligence
- Dangerous Driving
- Driving While Under Suspension
- Failing To Obey Police
- Failing To Remain At An Accident Scene
- Motor Manslaughter
- Racing
- Refuse Breathalyzer
- Stunting / Drag Racing
- All Serious Convictions; Can Be Unspecified
License Ramifications
Driver’s Abstract, What Is It? It’s a document issued by your province’s Ministry of Transportation that reports on the status of your license. It states the type of license you have, and lists all the tickets you’ve been convicted of in the last 3 years. It lists your renewal date, the date you were first licensed and any license suspensions, or reinstatements.
For a small fee, usually around $10, you can get your Driver’s Abstract from the Ministry of Transportation or corresponding office in your province.
Demerit Points: Drivers begin with zero demerit points and accumulate points for convictions. Demerit points stay on your record for 2 years from the conviction date. Too many points can cause a suspension of your license. The Ministry of Transportation assigns demerit points.
Demerit points determine if your driver’s license is going to be renewed or if the driver needs to be re-tested. Here’s how demerit points work.
Demerit Points for a Speeding Ticket:
* 16 to 29 km over the limit = 3 points
* 30 to 49 km over the limit = 4 Points.
* 50+ km over the limit = 6 Points.
As a fully licensed driver in Ontario:
- At six demerit points, you will be sent a warning letter.
- At nine points, you may have to go to an interview to discuss your record and give reasons why your licence should not be suspended. If you don’t attend, your licence may be suspended.
- At 15 or more points, your licence will be suspended for 30 days from the date you surrender it to the Ministry of Transportation for the first suspension. You can lose your licence for up to two years if you fail to surrender your licence.
- After the suspension you may be required to complete a driver re-examination (vision, knowledge and road tests), the number of points on your record will be reduced to seven. Any extra points could again bring you to the interview level. If you reach 15 points again, your licence will suspended for six months.
Points usually have no bearing on your insurance. To your insurance company, a ticket is a ticket, whether or not it has demerit points, it will affect your insurance rate.
A license suspension severely affects your insurance rates. If you fail to attend a hearing, or fail to give good reasons for needing to keep your license, your license may be suspended.
