Not Just a Ticket
If you get a speeding ticket, you might think it’s no big deal. It’s just a ticket. A minor inconvenience, right? Well, it’s not just a ticket. It’s actually a lot more than that.
Imagine this situation: a police officer pulls you over. You never get pulled over. You’ve never even got so much as a parking ticket in your life. The officer still gives you a ticket with a fine of $138. You tell yourself: $138 is a lot but it’s not that bad. I’ll pay the fine and move on with my life.
The impact of that speeding ticket could go beyond financial repercussions.
The truth is, that $138 is a fraction of what you will end up paying. Moreover, depending on your situation, the impact of that speeding ticket could go beyond financial repercussions.
Why it’s not just a ticket
First of all, let’s look at the various speeding offences and how much you can expect to pay for a speeding ticket.
| Offence | Fine | Penalty points |
| Speed in/outside municipality, Speed against highway/area/municipal sign, Speed on municipal lane (<21 km/hr over limit) | $138 | 3 |
| Speed in/outside municipality, Speed against highway/area/municipal sign (21 – 40 km/hr over limit) | $196 | 3 |
| Speed in school zone, Speed in playground zone (<21 km/hr over limit) | $196 | 3 |
| Speed in school zone, Speed in playground zone (21 – 40 km/hr over limit) | $253 | 3 |
| Excessive speed (41 – 60 km/hr over limit) | $368 | 3 |
| Excessive speed (>60 km/hr over limit) | $483 | 3 |
So depending on where you are and how fast police think you are going, you could pay a fine of up to $483. Regardless of whether an officer believes you were 1 km/hr over the limit or 100 km/hr, if they give you a ticket you will also get Driver Penalty Points.
Snowball effect
If you get a speeding ticket, you might think your best option is to just pay the fine and forget about it. The problem is, as soon as you pay the ticket you’re essentially pleading guilty to the offence and you are left with no choice but to accept all of the knock-on effects it can have.
A traffic ticket can trigger a series of costly and painful repercussions. Fines, costlier insurance, and in some cases a driving prohibition leading to lost wages and damaged self-esteem.
Clients often come to us because a speeding ticket cost them their licence. Now they can’t get to work and support their family. There is no harm in disputing a ticket. You have the right to hear the evidence against you and challenge it.
Driver Penalty Point Premium
Each speeding offence carries three Driver Penalty Points. ICBC adds up the total number of points you received in a 12-month assessment period. If you collect more than three points on your driving record during the assessment period, you’ll pay a Driver Penalty Point (DPP) premium on top of your existing Autoplan insurance premiums. They are billed even if you don’t own or insure a vehicle.
| Number of penalty points | Annual Driver Penalty Point premium |
| 0-3 | Nil |
| 4 | $252 |
| 5 | $331 |
| 6 | $432 |
| 7 | $598 |
| 8 | $749 |
| 9 | $922 |
| 10 | $1,303 |
So if you already have even one existing penalty point you will have to pay DPP. If it’s your first offence and you have no existing penalty points, you won’t pay any extra, but it leaves you in a precarious position. Say you get two speeding tickets in a year, that’s six penalty points. You’ll have to pay $432.
Driver Risk Premium
If you are charged with excessive speeding (40 km/hr or more over the limit), the consequences are even worse. Not only is the fine amount greater (up to $483), ICBC will require you to pay a Driver Risk Premium. For a single excessive speeding conviction, you will have to pay $461 each year for the next three years. That is a total of $1,383, nearly three times the cost of the fine.
On top of that, the first time you receive an excessive speeding ticket, the police will have your car towed and impounded for seven days. So now you have towing fees and storage fees on top of everything else. So for a single excessive speeding ticket, you can expect to pay around $2,000 over three years. Much more than the original fine.
Driving prohibition
Speeding tickets go on your driving record. The Superintendent of Motor Vehicles has the power to issue driving prohibitions based on a person’s driving record.
For ‘N’ and ‘L’ drivers, even if you get one speeding ticket, ICBC can suspend your Class 7 license meaning you have to start the graduated licensing program all over again from the beginning. Even one solitary speeding ticket.
Driving prohibitions are no joke. Imagine not being able to drive to work for a few months. You could lose your job. Even if you keep your employment, you might have to work reduced hours. In short, a driving prohibition can seriously impact your life. Having one speeding violation on your record might not be so bad, but it doesn’t leave you with much room to manoeuvre.
We can save you money by fighting your ticket
The good news is, if you successfully challenge the violation, the ticket disappears from your record. You won’t have to pay the fine, you won’t get any penalty points, your insurance will stay the same and, if your vehicle was impounded, everything gets refunded.
So while you might think your best option is to just pay the fine, you should also take into consideration everything else you’ll have to pay. Challenging the speeding ticket is often the most cost-effective option.
Your best chance of successfully challenging or reducing a speeding violation is to hire a lawyer. We fight speeding violations because know it’s not just a ticket. The punishment far outweighs the offence. Our rates are affordable, often less than the fine itself. If you’re still unsure, call us for a free consultation on 604-608-1200.