canada speeding ticket -need advice in B.C.

[nize]

on a drive from seattle to kelowna this weekend i got a speeding ticket near abbotsford in british columbia for a whopping $198.

usually when i get a ticket in the states, i have a local lawyer who specializes in tickets whom i can hire and pay $200 to get the ticket dismissed.

is this something i could also do in b.c. ? does anyone know any good lawyers that work in abbotsford? or do i have to look for a lawyer near victoria, b.c. ? is it better to just pay the fine and eat the infraction? any advice is appreciated. thank you!

[Jaker]

I suspect that if you paid the fine, all you'd be doing is lining the BC coffers. I don't believe that there is an exchange of information between BC and Washington, so it would not affect your driving abstract whatsover.

[nize]

what would happen if i got pulled over while driving in canada again in the near future though? i'd like to be able to drive in canada without any worries.

[SumAznGuy]

My only comment on this is that if you were a BC resident, you could not renew your insurance or liscence witout paying the fine. But since you are not, I don't think this will apply to you. But, Jaker is correct, there is no transfer of info between BC and Wash so it will not affect your driver abstract. But on the other hand, $189 cdn is less than the $200 that you would pay your lawyer. If you decide not to pay the fine, I don't think there is much ICBC can do. They do not take away driving privilages unless you were street racing.

[Jaker]

Originally posted by nize:
what would happen if i got pulled over while driving in canada again in the near future though? i'd like to be able to drive in canada without any worries.

You may have misunderstood my intentions. If you pay the fine, you won't suffer any points loss or increased insurance premiums as a result of info making it to your abstract. There is no point really in spending money fighting the ticket, when you could possibly be faced with spending more than the actual fine.

[nize]

usually traffic attorneys in the states will charge a flat-rate to handle a speeding ticket, and it's usually around $200.

i was hoping that it would be similar in canada, so i could pay a local canadian lawyer $200 to get the ticket dismissed.

if the difference in price is only $2, wouldn't it be wiser to fight the ticket and have it dismissed, rather than pay it?

[Jaker]

What advantage would you gain by fighting the ticket? I also believe that if you do not present yourself before the judge, you are automatically guilty.

[SumAznGuy]

The fine is only $189, which is not that expensive, plus what points you incur here has no bearing on your driver's abstract in Wash. Vice versa, I had a speeding ticking in Washington many years ago that I have yet to pay. Sure my driving privilages has been suspended in Washington, but since I do not go down there, it has no affect on me. If and when I do plan on going down, I will pony up the money, but until then I will not step foot in Washington.
As for you, there is 3 options; pay it, dispute it and hire a lawyer to represent your case, which should end up costing you the same as paying the ticket, or do not pay it and risk either having your driving privilages suspended in BC or never drive in BC until you pay the fine.
The good part about the third option is that ICBC will not add on interest to your fine until they take it to collections, just like what good old Washington did to me.

[Cliffy]

I know that if there are outstanding offences/warrants on your driver's license, The U.S Border Patrol has the right to detain you and/or impound your car. I'm not sure of the reverse is true for U.S. citizens coming into Canada. So not paying the fine (or otherwise settling the ticket) may affect your next visit to Canada.