Effect Of Demerit Points On Licence And Insurance Article

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Effect of Demerit Points on Licence and Insurance

Insurance companies do not assess driver's premiums based on demerit points. Many people confuse demerit points with risk points assessed by the insurance companies. Number of risk points depend on type(s) of convictions on the driver's abstract as well as number of convictions in a particular time frame. Points accumulation lead to a suspension of driver's licence.

Author: Serhiy Senatorov

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Demerit points has always been a concern to the drivers in Ontario. Perhaps the idea of being assessed points is not a pleasant news but it certainly should not be the only concern. Points are assessed by the Ministry of Transportation and not by police officers or courts. In fact, many unrepresented defendants hear the notion "court has no jurisdiction over demerit points" leaving them in a state of confusion. Court is obliged to follow penalty provisions in the charging legislation and does not have jurisdiction to reduce or assess demerit points to the convicted offender, that is done automatically by the Ministry after a conviction has been registered.

Traffic ticket defence professionals can provide valuable service to the defendants by assisting in resolution of the allegations and in many situations avoiding imposition of demerit points by the Ministry. Even if points are not assessed, there could still be serious consequences of a conviction. A conviction record will be placed on the driver's abstract and will remain there forever. Most insurance companies will only be concerned with last 3 years. A person with 2-3 minor offences on their record may face a significant increase in their premiums regardless of demerit points.

How long does demerit points stay on record

If you were unfortunate enough to accumulate demerit points there is a good news. Points extend for 2 years from the date of the offence but applied against the driver's licence only at the time of conviction. In theory, if it took 2 years for the matter to be completed then there will be no demerits assessed against the licence. It is obvious, it pays to fight traffic tickets from this perspective.

Effect of points on licence status

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. If 15 points reached again a period of suspension increases to 60 days and 90 days on subsequent accumulation. Fighting a traffic ticket and preventing an accumulation of points may be the difference between driving and not. Suspension on the record will certainly increase an insurance premiums dramatically.

Effect on novice licence holders

Novice drivers (G1, G2, M1 and M2 classes) are subject to even stricter consequences. Upon reaching 2 demerit points a warning letter will be sent out. At 6 points an interview will be scheduled to determine if driver's licence should be suspended. At 9 points novice licence will be suspended for 90 days from the date you surrender it to the Ministry of Transportation. As of December 2010 novice drivers are also subject to an automatic suspension of their licence if 4 or more points has been accumulated in a single transaction. For example, careless driving conviction will result in automatic suspension.

About Author

Protect your record and driving ability. For more information about demerit points or fighting traffic tickets contact Mississauga traffic tickets professionals at Traffic Law Paralegal Services.

http://www.TrafficLawParalegal.com

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Effect of Demerit Points on Licence and Insurance