9 Demerit Points - Have to Go for Interview

[Shawn]

So having moved back to Toronto after living in the States for some years I've become a magnet for the cops and in the past year and a half accumulated 9 points, all minor stuff, but the small stuff adds up.

Has anyone ever gone to one of these interviews where you have to explain why they shouldn't suspend your license? What can I expect/say/do?

Thanks!

[DeAd-EyE]

I wish i could be more helpful, but one of my employees had to do that and he just pleased and explained that he needed his license as part of his livelyhood (he had to drive from sauga to toronto every day) so the judge left him with like 1 or 2 points and he just paid the price insurancewise and drove VERY carefully for the next few years (Thank god they were all minors)

[phucyall]

I don't think it's the same interview as you are thinking.
I went to one for 9 points a while back. You basically sit in a room with 10-15 other people and the guy talks about how speeding kills and how you should not drive aggressively and stuff like that. You have to answer some questions, but in the end you don't even put your name on anything so it's all useless.
At 9 points you have nothing to worry about usually. It's 12 and 15 that you should be concerned about.

[Blackenese]

So having moved back to Toronto after living in the States for some years I've become a magnet for the cops and in the past year and a half accumulated 9 points, all minor stuff, but the small stuff adds up.

Has anyone ever gone to one of these interviews where you have to explain why they shouldn't suspend your license? What can I expect/say/do?

Thanks!

i went to one when they suspended my G2 back in highschool. basically, its a 1 on 1 interview where you discuss your traffic violations.

Important: be polite, humble and apologetic.

The interviewer has the power to give you back your license. During my interview (mostly for speeding tickets), they asked me questions about motive and result. Here is how it went:

Q: Why did you speed?
A: I was trying to get there faster.
Q: Did you get there fasteR?
A: No.
Q: Why?
A: I was stopped by police.
Q: So speeding doesn't get you there faster?
A: No it doesn't.
Q: Is there any reason to speed?
A: No.
Q: I'm going to give you your license back...


I hope you are as lucky as me. Good luck dude...

[Blackenese]

oh...also...its not with a judge or any type of official. It is a rather informal process. Mine was in an office and it felt more like a job interview or lecture than anything.

It was at the MOT at Dufferin and Sheppard I think. Read easy to get to since you can't drive anymore.

[Rob MacLennan]

I don't think it's the same interview as you are thinking.
I went to one for 9 points a while back. You basically sit in a room with 10-15 other people and the guy talks about how speeding kills and how you should not drive aggressively and stuff like that. You have to answer some questions, but in the end you don't even put your name on anything so it's all useless.
At 9 points you have nothing to worry about usually. It's 12 and 15 that you should be concerned about.

... unless you have a M2 or G2 license. Then you should be very afraid.

[strictlye]

^^sounds about right, it's more of a lecture than a "why shouldn't I take away your license".

[Shawn]

Nah, I've been driving almost 15 years, have my full G...never had tickets until moving back...none are for speeding, its all sign violations (no right on reds, wrong way on a one way) and one for seatbelt.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[spankayf]

I've always felt the system was unfair to professional drivers who have a greater opportunity to accumulate demerit points

[Blackenese]

Nah, I've been driving almost 15 years, have my full G...never had tickets until moving back...none are for speeding, its all sign violations (no right on reds, wrong way on a one way) and one for seatbelt.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

yeah the "differences in driving etiquette" seems to be your best defense.

it seems more an awareness problem than anything. just make it sound like its correctable and you're committed to it.

[dropgear]

I've always felt the system was unfair to professional drivers who have a greater opportunity to accumulate demerit points

hmph, good point. never considered that.

[Brian P]

I've always felt the system was unfair to professional drivers who have a greater opportunity to accumulate demerit points

Well ... I have (shall we say) "high exposure" as a result of my job. (Driving isn't the job "per se", but driving is necessary as a result of having to drive to job sites all over the province.) If you are a "professional driver" or are otherwise in a high exposure situation ... you learn how to not be the most prominent target, as much as possible (and by whatever means are appropriate).

Usually, the professional drivers are also the most experienced and safest drivers. Collisions and tickets aren't necessarily in direct proportion to how much someone is on the road.

[Rossi86]

Nah, I've been driving almost 15 years, have my full G...never had tickets until moving back...none are for speeding, its all sign violations (no right on reds, wrong way on a one way) and one for seatbelt.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

This is why you and everyone else should take every single ticket to court to keep your driving record as clean as possible. 3 times in court, even if you pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, there's no way you'd be in this situation. You'd have 4-6 points max instead of 9

[boyoboy]

yikes! i've done the interview thing twice (back in my mispent youth). be careful, i believe they can pull your licence right then and there if they choose too.

my interviewer pulled out my entire past record on computer print out and it rolled out about two feet long! he went through every infraction.

phraes like "i had bad judgement" go over better than trying to make excuses (though in some cases you MAY HAVE a good excuse, so go with it. at the end of the interview he /she will probally ask why you should keep your license.

i've learned my lesson from this process. state. it probally wouldn't hurt if you had a grandma/grandpa/mother who could no longer drive and counted on you for transport. but don't say it unless its true! GOOD LUCK LEAD FOOT er lead hand.....go to the track where your supposed to go fast-its the right thing to do. just do it !!!

[phucyall]

Yeah taking your tickets to court is great. Your points expire 2 years after you get the ticket, but you are not convicted until the judge says you are (assuming you take it to trial). And that year waiting for trial means when you are convicted you only have 1 year left until those points expire.

Rob, good point. Having had G for so long I never even thought about G2/M2 and having less total allowed points.

[mat2312]

Well ... I have (shall we say) "high exposure" as a result of my job. (Driving isn't the job "per se", but driving is necessary as a result of having to drive to job sites all over the province.) If you are a "professional driver" or are otherwise in a high exposure situation ... you learn how to not be the most prominent target, as much as possible (and by whatever means are appropriate).

Usually, the professional drivers are also the most experienced and safest drivers. Collisions and tickets aren't necessarily in direct proportion to how much someone is on the road.

Tell me why my insurance company will give discounts to Professionals like doctors/lawyers/engineers but won't give me a discount on my personal automobile cause I drive professionally.

I have learned how to avoid becoming a target as well as where the speed traps are in my truck. I find that generally the police leave drivers alone (i've asked this question to many of my fellow drivers) and target the cars.

But going along with what spanky says, commercial drivers have a higher risk and greater consequence if they get tickets leading to a license suspension. Look at 203 for example, if I got my license suspended for a week let alone the company truck impounded...i'd be FIRED!

[TorontoRider]

my interviewer pulled out my entire past record on computer print out and it rolled out about two feet long! he went through every infraction.

What happened to "only on your record for 3 years"?

[DeAd-EyE]

What happened to "only on your record for 3 years"?

that's insurance company visibility.
for government purposes ur record never gets cleared.

[Scotian_Lotion]

Points are on your abstract for 2 years
The offense itself is on your abstract for 3 years

They can always go in and see everything you've done though. Not good when you're trying to get out of a ticket and they can go in and say "in the past 10 years you've been charged with 12 driving violations". If that's the case, they think you have a problem and you're getting a ticket.

[HyRyze]

i
Q: Why did you speed?
A: I was trying to get there faster.
Q: Did you get there fasteR?
A: No.
Q: Why?
A: I was stopped by police.
Q: So speeding doesn't get you there faster?
A: No it doesn't.
Q: Is there any reason to speed?
A: No.
Q: I'm going to give you your license back...

HAHAHAAHAHAAA