Ontario Stunt Driving Ticket
Thursday, October 9th, 2008My cousin Jake was hopping mad because his license and vehicle were removed by police for something he claims he didn’t do, namely stunt driving, which earned him a nice fat Ontario stunt driving ticket.
Jake told me that he and his two kids were pulled over and issued an Ontario stunt driving ticket for traveling more than 50 kilometres over the speed limit, a stunt driving offence defined under Ontario’s new Stunt Driving Law that allows police to issue a stunt driving ticket and seize vehicles without proving the offences.
Jake and his kids found themselves stranded by the side of the highway in possession of an Ontario stunt driving ticket but not their license or vehicle.
“I’m a middle-aged family guy,” he said in exasperation, “not someone who’s out there racing his decrepit old Toyota van with teenage riff-raff. I don’t deserve an Ontario stunt driving ticket!”
Drivers accused of stunt driving have to pay the cost of towing and storing their vehicles for seven days and can end up with stunt driving ticket fines of up to $10,000 in Ontario.
There are eight different Ontario stunt driving ticket violations but the most common are excessive speeding, street racing and even tailgating. All come with an automatic seven-day impound.
Police claim that an Ontario stunt driving ticket is a great deterrent for reducing the incidence of serious injuries and deaths on our highways but the OPP seem to think that handing out a stunt driving ticket in Ontario is the best way to combine enforcement with education.
Is this a fair strategy? Ignorance of the law is no defence for sure, but I think a suitably in-your-face media blitz concerning the new Ontario stunt driving law would be a better solution that surprising not-so-with-it motorists like my cousin Jake with a stunt driving ticket.
But things are looking up for Jake. He apparently contacted the Traffic Ticket Advisory Services, a prominent Ottawa paralegal team, and they’re taking care of everything related to his Ontario stunt driving ticket. The prognosis is very good.
Parting words from Jake: “I got hit with an Ontario stunt driving ticket and suddenly I’m in the same league as street racing punks! Hell, I didn’t even get to enjoy the thrill!”