Question: Good Day, I have just received my 3rd speeding ticket in the last 6 months all are 10 kms and under no demerit points on any of them. I have elected to challenge my last ticket, the reason being is my concern about insurance rate hikes.
I presume insurance companies do not care whether demerits are involved or how many clicks you are over.
I was fortunate the officers lowered all 3 tickets, to avoid demerits.
Will the insurance hike be that extreme.
Thanks
Stupid in Simcoe
Answer: Our company is not a part of the insurance industry and as such any feedback in this area is based solely upon discussions with previous clients and contacts within the insurance industry and may not necessarily reflect how your specific insurance company may respond to your driving record.
Demerit points are a metric used by the MTO in determining whether or not a specific licence will be suspended. While demerit points are correlated to how any given insurance company will respond to a conviction, the relationship is not a direct one. For example, speeding charges that fall within the 1 to 15 km/h over the speed limit range all carry 0 demerit points for your licence. However, within that range some insurance companies consider 1 through 14 km/h to not have a risk assessment value, but 15 km/h as having a risk assessment value.
Given the number of recent charges you have experienced, you may want to contact your insurance broker, without providing identifying information such as your name or policy number, to get some feedback on how they are likely to respond in a situation similar to your own. If you do decide to proceed in contesting a Speeding charge that has been lowered at roadside, it would be advisable to discuss the issue with one of our staff to protect against the charge being increased to the pre-reduced rate of speed at Court.
Amanda Case, Licenced Paralegal