WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES?
Generally, a conviction under the Highway Traffic Act will result in court, licencing, and insurance penalties.
All three of these offences carry a fixed court fine. On top of this fine is applied the
victim fine surcharge and a $5.00 court cost as follows:
| Offence |
Set Fine |
VFS + Court Cost |
Total Fine |
| Disobey Stop Sign |
$85 |
$25 |
$110 |
| Amber Light Fail to Stop |
$150 |
$30 |
$180 |
| Red Light Fail to Stop |
$260 |
$65 |
$325 |
If the offence occurred within a community safety zone (CSZ), such as a school zone, the court fine increases significantly:
| Offence |
CSZ Set Fine |
VFS + Court Cost |
Total Fine |
| Disobey Stop Sign |
$150 |
$30 |
$180 |
| Amber Light Fail to Stop |
$300 |
$65 |
$365 |
| Red Light Fail to Stop |
$400 |
$90 |
$490 |
Each of these offences also carries a demerit point penalty that is applied against the Defendant’s driving record upon conviction. Commercial motor vehicle drivers, such as transport truck drivers, also face a CVOR point penalty upon conviction:
| Offence |
Demerit Points |
CVOR Points |
| Disobey Stop Sign |
3 |
3 |
| Amber Light Fail to Stop |
3 |
3 |
| Red Light Fail to Stop |
3 |
5 |
As demerit points accumulate, the MTO will progressively respond with the following penalties against your licence:
- A warning letter
- A mandatory MTO meeting to review your driving history that may result in a licence suspension
- A mandatory suspension of your licence without an interview
Your insurance broker will be your most accurate source of information on how a pending conviction may impact your insurance costs. Generally, the poorer your record or the more serious the offence, the greater your insurance costs will become.
