06-19-2019, 11:04 AM
timc Wrote:Quote:According to https://www.ontariotraffictickets.com/ca...g-penalty/:
* fine $490 to $2,000
* loss of six (6) demerit points
* mandatory licence suspension for novice drivers
* possible six (6) month suspension for all drivers
* serious offences possible six (6) months in jail
This crash seems to have caused an injury. The penalties for careless driving causing bodily harm or death are greater. The fine is $2,000 to $50,000, with a suspension of up to five years, and up to two years in jail.
You know almost nothing about what happened, but you think that a charge of careless driving is a joke. What else would you charge them with?
A couple of things:
One, I am not specifically saying that "the police should not have laid that charge; I would have laid a different charge." The framework is what's broken, not necessarily the way police work within it. I concede that they don't have a lot of options, and so wind up charging someone with making an improper turn (fine: $110) when he runs over someone on a bike (see this article).
Two, "careless driving" and "careless driving causing bodily harm or death" are two different charges, and the former is what he was charged with. The latter is new as of less than a year ago, so maybe it's not being used widely yet.
In any case, I'll eat my hat if we read an article six months from now stating that this guy has been sentenced to actual jail time, or even a six month suspension.