You might have experienced getting pulled over by an annoyed or angry traffic officer. It does not matter if you are the best driver in town. Almost everyone has a similar story to tell, whether you have been caught running the red light or speeding.
However, some drivers do not learn their lesson even after getting caught too many times. For this reason, Ontario uses demerit points to ensure the safety of not only the driver in question but other road users as well.
You do not lose demerit points in Ontario. Instead, you start with 0 points.
For every single time you break certain traffic laws, points add up to your licence. Therefore, the lower the points are, the better. Or better—do not store up demerit points in Ontario at all!
After breaking a certain traffic law for the very first time, you might ask yourself: “How many demerit points do I have now?” It actually depends on a lot of factors.
How many demerit points you have will depend on whether you own a full licence or a new driver’s licence. The points added to your licence also differ depending on the traffic law you violated, as some can be a more serious offence than others.
All demerit points you accumulate will stay on your driving record for two years, counting from the date you violated a traffic law. Collecting enough points could lead to you losing your licence.
If you want to know how many demerit points you have, below is a list of traffic law violations and their corresponding points.
Now that you know the different traffic violations and their demerit points, it is important to ask yourself: How many demerit points do you have? Below are the consequences for gaining demerit points:
Below is a list of the consequences based on how many demerit points you have if you have a full licence:
6 to 8 points: You will receive a warning letter from the authorities.
9 to 14 points: You will receive a second warning letter, persuading you to improve your driving behaviour.
15 or more than 15 points: Authorities will have to suspend your driver’s licence for 30 days.
Once the Ministry of Transportation sees how many demerit points you have and it’s 15 or more than that, they will send you a letter regarding the suspension of your licence. You will also find in the letter the date your licence was suspended and that you must surrender it to the authorities.
Ignoring these instructions from the Ministry of Transportation could lead to losing your licence for up to two years.
If you are a novice or new driver, you will receive the same number of demerit points for the same traffic violations. However, you will face different consequences depending on how many demerit points you have.
A driver is considered a novice or new if they have a G1, G2, M1, M2, M1-L, or M2-L licence.
If you are a novice or new driver, below is a list of consequences:
2 to 5 points: The authorities will send you a warning letter.
6 to 8 points: The authorities will send you your second warning letter, encouraging you to improve your driving behaviour.
9 or more than 9 points: You will be notified of your licence suspension for 60 days.
Just like with full licence drivers, the Ministry of Transportation will take a look at how many demerit points you have. They will send a letter to new or novice drivers, indicating when their licence suspension will take effect as well as encouraging the driver to surrender their licence.
If new or novice drivers do not surrender their licence, they can lose their licence for up to two years.
It is important to ask yourself: “How many demerit points do I have?” If you want to know how many points you have in your licence, you can request a driver’s abstract. This can be done online or in person.
All you have to do is pay $12 for an uncertified version. If you need a certified version, you will have to pay $18. Both versions will show you the total of demerit points that your licence has. Moreover, it will show a three or five-year history of your driving record, including driving offences, penalties, and convictions.
The number of demerit points you have depends on the traffic violations committed, and traffic rules may vary from one city to another. For instance, your licence can incur demerit points in Alberta if you drive above the speed limit, aside from other traffic violations, of course.
It is important to know how many demerit points you have in Alberta as this province takes speeding into account. Below is a list of how many demerit points are added to your licence for driving too fast in Alberta.
You get:
2 points: for illegally driving over 15 km/h
3 points: for illegally driving over 15-30 km/h
4 points: for illegally driving over 30-50 km/h
6 points: for illegally driving over 50 km/h
Aside from these speeding guidelines, drivers can also accumulate 4 demerit points if they drive at “an unreasonable rate.”
Alberta treats distracted driving as a serious offence. This Canadian province has recently increased the fine for distracted driving to $300. Committing this offence will add 3 demerit points to your driving record.
Meanwhile, if a traffic enforcer charges you with careless driving due to distracted driving, 9 demerit points will add to your licence.
Aside from knowing how many demerit points you have, you must also know how these points affect your insurance costs in Alberta.
Although premiums are not based on how many demerit points you have in your licence, insurers do look at your traffic convictions and the type of driving law you have violated.
Insurers decide your fees individually. If they think you are a “dangerous” or “tough” client, they may see you as someone who needs high-risk insurance.
Make your money do more.
Offers shown here are from third-party advertisers. We are not an agent, representative, or broker of any advertiser, and we don’t endorse or recommend any particular offer. Information is provided by the advertiser and is shown without any representation or warranty from us as to its accuracy or applicability. Each offer is subject to the advertiser’s review, approval, and terms. We receive compensation from companies whose offers are shown here, and that may impact how and where offers appear (and in what order). We don’t include all products or offers out there, but we hope what you see will give you some great options.
You can double-check your demerit points by requesting your driver’s record. This can be done online or in person by going to a ServiceOntario location.
From the time you commit a traffic violation, demerit points will stay on your driving record for two years. Collecting too many points can result in licence suspension.
Three demerit points do not affect your Ontario insurance. However, a driving conviction can. This is when the driver is found guilty of a serious offense, like stunt driving.
Top deals await you just a short
application away!
