Hi everyone,
Ok this has been one of those topics that my buddies and I cannot come to an agreement on, in Ontario, if you get a speeding ticket (or any other traffic violation) in the trails on your sled, does it go on your driving record ie. driving abstract?

Also, do any snowmobile violations affect your car insurance?

Thanks

Hi there.. In past years tickets have not affected your driving record or insurance. The ticket was $110.00 if you are going 10 over or a 100 over. They are trying to make it so it does affect your driving record and your insurance for this year. No word yet on if has passed or not.

Your are safe as long as you are on the trails. If you are going down the side of a road I am pretty sure that would affect your abstract.

Speeding tickets never have before. It's a fine, but no points. A DUI fine does though. You loose your liscence to drive a car if you get caught driving a sled drunk. I think a dangerous or wreckless driving ticket on a sled would still have points associated with it and that would affect your abstract.

All of that is true. They are trying to pass a bill right now that all tickets on a sled will affect your drivers license.

I hope that Bill doesn't pass, It could really hurt the sport. Besides most people will only drive at a pace they are comfortable with anyways.

You exactly right I have friends who have decided to pack it in when they heard about this. We can always ride in qubec>

Thanks for the response everyone. How will we know if the bill passes? This is something that I would like to stay on top of. My opinion is this, if this type of bill passes, people will not change their riding habits and it will only make the trails more dangerous. If a cop/warden trys to pull someone over that knows they are speeding, present day they would probably stop take the ticket and live with it, because it doesnt affect their license. If they change that, someone who knows that is speeding will not pull over and instead try to outrun the OPP sleds (which many people think they could do easily)....well when you have a reckless guy trying to get away from the law it could very easily mean danger to him adn more importantly danger to everyone else on the trail...just my 2 cents.

If this does happen I know I won't be riding the trails anymore. I'll just go and buy a laker and run it in some radar runs and thats about it. Sick and tired of this province passing bills where they have no f*(^&in clue what they're talking about.

I was talking to a couple O.P.P. officers at the Toronto show and they said they haven't heard anything about this bill. They said it would be difficult to pass something like that and that enforcement of drinking and riding is far more important.

Interesting post, I'll just add my $0.02, and try and clarify a couple of the points that were brought up.

I don't believe that MSVA offences are entered on your driving record but I will look into it. I have also not heard of any Bill regarding this.

Whether you are speeding on the trails or on a roadway makes no difference, you will be charged under the MSVA (Motorized Snow Vehicles Act).

There are no demerit points under the MSVA.

Most insurance companies don't look at points anyway. They look at the number of tickets that you receive.

If you are charged with careless driving that is an MSVA offence. If you are charged with dangerous driving that is a criminal offence and there are no demerit points associated with criminal charges but you will likely be prohibited from driving and this shows up on your driving record.

There is no such thing as DUI in Canada, it's an American term. If you are charged with Impaired or Over 80mgs, then you will lose your driving privileges and it is on your driving record.

I can't believe anyone would consider packing it in if MSVA charges show up on your driving record. Just use common sense when you ride.

You'd be nuts to run from the police in an attempt to avoid a minor ticket. I'll list the penalties under the MSVA.

Minimum penalty:
14days in jail
$5,000 fine
5yr suspension

Maximum penalty:
6 months in jail
$25,000 fine
life suspension.

You would also be subject to potential criminal charges. The licence suspension shows up on your driving record and you can forget about ever being able to afford insurance again. The police do catch some of those who run and it's not by chasing them.

A small percentage of irresponsible snowmobilers cause us all problems. It's not the provinces fault that a small percentage of snowmobilers, get drunk, stoned, or drive like idiots and kill or seriously injure themselves and others. These guys are responsible for your high trail permit costs, insurance costs, and increased police presence in the trails. Keep all this in mind the next time you meet one of these clowns on the wrong side of the trail or see him stagger out to his sled half in the bag. We all pay the price for these guys!

Plus when the cops catch you, its not gonna be a "Hello Sir, I got you going a little fast back there" its gonna be " Get down on the ground"!!with a little help from all the officers around.. Not a good idea to run...I mean its only a ticket!

But Steve, ur sled has to catch mine before you can yell at me like that LOL
but I'm always nice to police officers anyways