The caveat is, speeding tickets only affect insurance rates after:

• a conviction is registered at court, or
• the driver pays the ticket without disputing it

Insurance companies do not learn of any “conviction” until after the case is finished.

When a speeding ticket is being disputed, no conviction is registered, and the insurance will not be affected.  Where a period of months (or years) past while waiting for a court date, the driving record remains clear of any conviction.

Delaying a speeding ticket from going on the driving record can save insurance.

The word conviction is a term used in Canadian courts to mean that the accused has been found guilty, and guilty verdict has been registered against the driver.

Or simply a conviction means that the driver:

• has paid the ticket,
• didn’t responded to the ticket and was found guilty by the court, or
• appeared in court and was found guilty in front of a Justice

After one of the above the traffic court registers a “conviction to the offence”.

Once the driver is convicted, the court sends a record of the conviction to the Ministry of Transportation.

The Ministry of Transport (MTO) keeps the conviction records of all drivers.  The conviction is available to anyone with your drivers licence number for the last 3 years.  Police services can request a complete drivers record showing all convictions since the date of original issue.

The conviction is put on the driving record by the Ministry of Transportation.

Driving records are also referred to as “Drivers Abstracts”.

The driver abstract will show:

• demerit points
• date of offence
• what the conviction was
• date conviction registered

Driving abstracts showing “convictions” are available to the insurance or anyone who has the drivers licence number for a fee, payable to the Ministry of Transportation.

Convictions stay on the driving abstract for 3 years from the date of conviction.

Demerit points are on the driving abstract for 2 years from the date of offence.

Convictions stay on the driving abstract for 3 years from the date of conviction.

• Demerit points are on the driving abstract for 2 years from the date of offence.
• Demerit points do not affect insurance rates, only convictions affect a drivers insurance rates.

The accumulation of demerit points results in licence suspensions.  A licence suspension will dramatically insurance rates.

Each insurance company is a private company with their own set of rules and standards.

Some insurance companies will not increase insurance rates for one ticket and others will.

Insurance companies learn of a speeding conviction by:

• calls the insurance about the speeding ticket, or
• driver discloses the speeding conviction to the insurance
• insurance learns of speeding charge on the drivers abstract

Drivers may not know what the insurance company is going to do, and if asked, there is a chance they could increase rates due to the inquiry.

Any accumulation of convictions will dramatically affect insurance rates.

Traffic tickets go on the driving record after a conviction or the driver pays the ticket.

Convictions are only kept on driving abstracts for 3 years.  When the driver dispute the ticket, the ticket is delayed from going on the driving record.

Trial dates have known to be months from the date of offence, by setting a trial date, the conviction if there is one, can be many months way.

When the driver decides to fighting the ticket, the ticket is delaying from going on their driving record.

The drivers saves insurance and points, as demerit points are not registered until after a conviction is registered.

The insurance does not learn about the ticket until a conviction is registered.

For example;

• driver receives a speeding ticket in February and the insurance renews in March.
  • driver requests a court date
    • the court assigns an April date
• upon March insurance renew, no convictions on the record
  • in April the ticket is dismissed/won, or
    • conviction is registered
      • insurance does not learn of the conviction until the next yearly renewal

Learn more about fighting your speeding ticket >

If the police officer told you that the speeding ticket will not affect your insurance, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM.

The police officer does not know what or how your insurance company is going to deal with a speeding ticket on your driving record.

The officer receives no training or information about traffic tickets and insurance.

When the officer says the ticket isn’t going to affect your insurance rates, thats’s just their “opinion” and not actual fact.

Any conviction on a driving record can affect insurance rates.

The insurance company “may not” penalize the driver for a first conviction, but any subsequent conviction will affect the insurance.

Traffic ticket convictions stay on a driving record for 3 years.

Drivers should to do everything possible to keep their driving record as clean as possible.

If the driver cannot keep the ticket off the record then delay it from appearing on the abstract as long as possible.