What Happens When You Get a Speeding Ticket in Ontario — And How to Contest It
- Sara Santos-Vigneault
- Aug 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 19
Written by: Sara Santos-Vigneault
Date: August 18, 2025
You’re driving down the highway and suddenly notice flashing lights in your rear-view mirror. A police officer signals for you to pull over. As your heart starts to race, you realize you may have been speeding. The officer approaches your vehicle, asks for your driver’s licence, registration, and insurance. Within a few minutes, they return with a speeding ticket and explain that you’ve been charged
under the Highway Traffic Act.
What do you do next? Should you simply pay the fine? Or is it worth contesting the charge?
This article walks you through what happens after you receive a speeding ticket in Ontario, your legal options, and how the process works if you choose to fight the ticket in court. It also includes a real-world example of a ticket that escalated quickly and shows why knowing your rights and options is so important.
Step 1: Understand Your Ticket and Choose a Response
When you receive a speeding ticket, it’s not just about the fine printed on the paper. There can be additional consequences such as demerit points, higher insurance premiums, and a permanent conviction on your driving record.
In Ontario, your ticket will usually offer three response options, and you typically have between 15 to 30 days to respond. Failing to respond on time could result in an automatic conviction, meaning you are found guilty in your absence and will be required to pay the full fine along with any applicable penalties.
Option 1: Plead Guilty and Pay the Fine
This is the simplest route — but often not the best one. By paying the fine, you are accepting full responsibility for the charge. The ticket will go on your driving record and demerit points may be applied depending on how fast you were going over the speed limit. These points remain on your record for two years, and insurance companies can view the conviction for up to three years, potentially leading to increased rates.
You can pay online or in person. The instructions are provided on the back of the ticket.
Option 2: Request an Early Resolution Meeting
This option allows you to schedule a meeting with a prosecutor. During this meeting, the prosecutor may offer to reduce the fine or the offence — for example, from “speeding 30 km/h over” to “15 km/h over.” If you accept the deal, you are still pleading guilty, and the conviction goes on your record.
Early resolution may benefit drivers who want to reduce their penalties but don’t want to go to trial. However, it does not result in dismissal.
Option 3: Plead Not Guilty and Request a Trial
If you believe the charge is inaccurate, unfair, or that there may be a legal or procedural error, you can choose to plead not guilty and take your case to trial. This is the only route that could result in the entire ticket being thrown out — with no fine, no demerit points, and no conviction.
To do this, you must fill out the appropriate form (usually called a Notice of Intention to Appear or Request for Trial) and submit it to the provincial offences office listed on the back of your ticket.
More information: https://www.ontario.ca/page/check-status-traffic-tickets-and-fines-online-or-request-meeting-resolve-your-case
Step 2: Preparing to Fight Your Ticket
Once you’ve requested a trial, the case is scheduled in the Ontario Court of Justice. This is not a criminal proceeding, but a provincial offence, which is still governed by formal procedures.
Here’s how to prepare:
Request Disclosure
You have the legal right to request full disclosure from the prosecution before trial. Disclosure is the evidence the prosecutor intends to use against you. It generally includes:
The police officer’s notes
Radar or lidar speed measurement logs
Calibration certificates for speed detection devices
Witness statements, if any
This information is crucial. It helps you identify any inconsistencies or legal issues that could be used in your defence.
You can request disclosure by writing to the prosecutor’s office listed on your trial notice. Some municipalities allow online requests.
Build Your Defence
Your goal is to raise reasonable doubt about whether the speeding offence actually occurred as alleged, or to demonstrate that proper procedures were not followed.
Common defences include:
The officer’s view was obstructed or their identification of your vehicle is questionable.
Radar equipment was not calibrated or used properly.
Missing or obscured speed limit signage.
Your dashcam or GPS records show different speed data.
You were avoiding an emergency or acting under necessity.
You may also hire a licensed paralegal or lawyer to help represent you. While not mandatory, experienced representatives are familiar with the nuances of traffic law and may be better equipped to challenge the evidence.
More information:
Step 3: What Happens at Trial
On your scheduled court date, your case will be heard before a Justice of the Peace. The officer who issued the ticket is usually present and will testify first.
You or your representative will then have the opportunity to:
Cross-examine the officer
Challenge the radar evidence or calibration
Submit your own evidence and testimony
Raise procedural errors, such as incomplete disclosure
The Justice of the Peace will make a ruling based on the balance of probabilities and whether the Crown has proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
If you are found not guilty, the ticket is dismissed, and no record of it appears on your driving history.
If you are found guilty, you must pay the fine and accept any resulting demerit points. You may still file an appeal within 30 days if you believe there was an error in law or procedure.
Real-World Example: When a Ticket Spirals Out of Control
In July 2024, an Ontario driver was pulled over on Highway 417. In one traffic stop, he was charged with:
Speeding more than 56 km/h over the limit
Driving alone in an HOV lane
Operating a vehicle without insurance
The total fine issued was over $7,000, and the consequences included:
A 14-day vehicle impoundment
A 30-day licence suspension
The possibility of a further one-year licence suspension
Six demerit points
Long-term insurance complications
The case illustrates how multiple minor infractions can compound rapidly, leading to overwhelming penalties. In such cases, it may be critical to contest the charges to ensure they are valid and to potentially have some withdrawn.
Summary of Key Points
You are not required to plead guilty just because you received a ticket.
You have the right to disclosure and a fair trial.
Legal representation is optional but can increase your chances of success.
Appeals are possible if proper procedures were not followed.
Sources
Ontario Government – Check Ticket Status and Options
Legal Clarity – How to Fight a Speeding Ticket in Ontario
Ontario Traffic Tickets – Fighting Speeding Tickets
Traffic Paralegal Services – Can You Fight a Reduced Speeding Ticket?
Best Buy Insurance – Contesting a Speeding Ticket in Ontario
Rashidy Law – How to Fight a Traffic Ticket in Toronto
Street Legal – How to Appeal a Traffic Ticket in Ontario
X-COPS – Speeding Tickets and Insurance Impact
AllOntario.ca – 10 Reasons to Fight Your Traffic Ticket
Option 3 – How to Check Traffic Tickets Online in Ontario
The Sun – Ontario Driver Fined $7,000 for Multiple Infractions
Comments