Convictions for disobeying a red light are a mark on your driving record for 3 years. If your a Novice Driver, red light tickets have three demerits points, where a novice driver gets 4 points their licence is suspended.

One traffic ticket might not affect your insurance, but if anything else happens within that 3 year period, like an accident or minor speeding ticket your insurance can increase dramatically.  Its important to always keep your driving and insurance record clear.

Understanding the Penalties for Disobeying a Red Light

Higher insurance premiums: A red light conviction signals risky driving behavior to insurance companies, often leading to increased premiums for 3 years or more. Even a single ticket can significantly raise your costs.

3 demerit points: The conviction is a mark against you for three years on your driving record, with points for two years.  At four points, Novice drivers lose their licence, fully licensed drivers who accumulate 9 or more points, face a Ministry of Transport review and possible suspension.

Accident Liability: If an accident has occurred, the charge implies you are 100% at fault. An accident combined with a traffic ticket counts as two strikes against your insurance, potentially leading to higher rates. Fighting the ticket can help you avoid increased premiums.

Take Action Now

Fighting your disobeying a red light ticket with OTT Legal is the best way to protect your driving record and avoid unnecessary penalties. Call us today to discuss your case and start building your defence.

My ticket for Disobey Red Light and the points was going to push up my insurance rates, so I knew I had to fight it. OTT handled everything for me, and eight months later, they called to say the charge was dismissed in court. I’m so grateful for their help!

Under section 144(18) of the Highway Traffic Act, drivers must stop at a red light. The law requires you to stop:

1. At the stop line, if present.
2. Before the crosswalk, if no stop line exists.
3. Before entering the intersection, if there are no markings or crosswalks.

A red light ticket is issued when a driver fails to stop as required. However, the burden of proof lies on the officer or witnesses in an accident to demonstrate where and how the driver disobeyed the traffic signal.

Fighting a red light ticket isn’t just about avoiding the fine—it’s about protecting your driving record, preventing insurance hikes, and maintaining peace of mind.

With the right legal defence from OTT Legal, we can challenge the evidence, question the officer’s testimony, and potentially get the ticket dismissed.

Our experienced team will:

• Prepare the case for trial, order police disclosure, file any legal motions
• Investigate whether the traffic lights were functioning correctly.
• Appear on the trial date to cross-examine the officer to challenge their observations.
• Use technical defences, such as calculating how far a car travels during the amber light phase at your speed.
• Present strong legal arguments to the court.

We’ve successfully defended drivers by uncovering inconsistencies and proving reasonable doubt in red light ticket cases.

The extra points from the ticket were going to push up my insurance rates, so I knew I had to fight it. OTT handled everything for me, and eight months later, they called to say the charge was dismissed in court. I’m so grateful for their help!

Receiving a red light ticket or being charged with Disobey Red Light can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to effectively challenge the charge.

Why you went through the light or denying the accusation is unlikely to drop the charge. Success in fighting a red light ticket requires a legal defence and the ability to identify weaknesses in the evidence presented by the prosecution.

Legal Defence for a Red Light Ticket

To challenge a red light ticket, you need to create reasonable doubt in the case against you. This often involves:

• Cross-examining the police officer who issued the ticket.
• Arguing technical or legal issues related to the charge.
• Disproving or highlighting inconsistencies in witness testimony or evidence.

Trials for Disobey Red Light charges are not as simple as explaining your side of the story.

Winning requires skill, knowledge of traffic law, and courtroom experience. For those unfamiliar with legal proceedings, working with experts like OTT Legal can greatly increase your chances of success.

The judge said that OTT Legal proved the witness’s testimony was unreliable and dismissed my charge, even though there was an accident. They saved my driving record and kept my insurance rates from skyrocketing!

During your trial and cross-examination OTT will argue issues such as:

• Were the traffic signals working properly?
• Did the police officer/witness really see you “enter the intersection on a red traffic signal?”
• If a car is traveling at fifty km/h, and an amber light is four (4) seconds long, how far, or how many feet does the vehicle travel in one second?
• As well as many other legal technicalities we can find to win your case.

Many times people who witness traffic accidents will tell the officer that one of the vehicles went through a red light.

But did they really see the driver go through the light or did they see the accident then look at the light and see that it was red?  The court has to have evidence that the driver “entered the intersection” on a red light.

More about Fighting Traffic Tickets >

Red light tickets are often issued in connection with accidents, as failing to stop at a red light can lead to serious collisions at intersections.

• Fault Determination: Being convicted of a red light violation can result in you being automatically deemed at fault for an accident, significantly impacting insurance claims and legal outcomes.

Witness testimony is frequently the key evidence used in these cases, even when a police officer didn’t see the incident firsthand.

• Impact of Witness Testimony: Many convictions are based solely on witness accounts. For example, a witness may claim they heard a crash, looked up, and saw the light was red. However, under cross-examination, it may become clear that the witness never actually saw the driver enter the intersection on a red light—only that the light was red after the accident occurred. There must be evidence before the court that the driver entered the intersection when the light was red.

Challenging the evidence against you is critical.

• Challenging the Evidence: Our team can discredit unreliable witness testimony or expose inaccuracies, such as inconsistencies in what was seen or heard. By demonstrating these flaws, we can often have your ticket dismissed, helping you avoid the consequences of a conviction.

Traffic court paralegal Eddie Cho | Retired OPP Officer

Don’t let a red light ticket jeopardize your driving record and insurance.

Take action now and put our proven legal expertise to work for you. At OTT Legal, we’ve successfully helped thousands of drivers win their ticket and we win yours too.

Contact us today for a free consultation and take the first step toward defending your case!