Q&A - Too Many Points

Question: Being a young person I don't have the best driving record. I have 13 points in the last 5 years couple of speeding tickets a failure to signal and a no drivers license (I had a license but it wasn't on me it was at home). So after 2 speeding tickets in the last 2 years I got rid of the motorcycle and the fast car and grew up.

Last month I got a failure to stop ticket as I was taking my daughter to the pool. It was raining very hard, night time and I was in a unfamiliar area so I simply didn't see the stop sign.

I would never run a stop sign on purpose especially with my daughter in the car. I explained this to the officer but he wrote me a ticket and said since you have 6 other offences I'm not going to give you a break.

Two days before Christmas I got a speeding ticket. The officer said I was doing 100 in a 70 zone.

I drive a 1983 diesel Land Cruiser which has to be the slowest vehicle in the world. From where I started accelerating to where the officer was hiding, I don't think its possible for my truck to be doing 100. It barely does it on the highway. My speedo read 80 and even at 80 I was speeding, I don't deny it.

Now the part I am worried about I have dumped $8,000.00 into employment training this year and am 2 weeks away from being finished. It will all be wasted if I can't get a class 4 license due to too many points.

I am currently a licensed mechanic and work on medium duty trucks and will need to get my class 3 or I won't have that job either so these tickets due to their points will ruin my life.

Is there any way to request the fine but not the points? or should I just dispute both of them and hope for the best?

Making Poor Driving Choices

While I feel sorry for this young man, it is a perfect example of the unintended consequences he faces due to poor choices he made in the operation of motor vehicles on our highways. The hurt doesn't always come from a collision.

From my past experience in general, finding a driver with more than a few entries on their driving record was rare. When I did, I usually found a bad driving attitude to go with it and we were in traffic court because the driver would be prohibited if the ticket was added to his current record.

I have also had drivers ask me to reconsider a ticket for a hazardous moving violation at roadside because they had just received a warning from the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles telling them that if they received another ticket a prohibition would result.

This person started in the right direction, but then learned that it really doesn't matter what type of vehicle you drive, it is how you drive it that counts. Changing your driving habits and outlook is what must take place to avoid the attention of the traffic police.

A Conviction Means Points 

There is no way to avoid penalty points for a hazardous moving violation if you pay, plead guilty to or are found guilty after disputing a ticket.

A Creative Alternative

The surest way to avoid penalty points is to not get the ticket in the first instance. However, if you are not able to do that, you may try and convince the issuing officer not to forward the ticket to ICBC in exchange for doing something to mitigate your actions. Trading your ticket for driver training might be a worthwhile suggestion.

ICBC's Alternative

If you are willing to give up your driver's licence for a period of time, ICBC will reduce or eliminate your penalty point premium. If you need your licence for work, this is not likely a reasonable option.

Employers Don't Want Bad Drivers

Many employers will not accept you for employment, even if you have a proper class of driver's licence, should you accumulate too many penalty points. This indicates that you may be a risk to their business and to them personally because they share the liability when they knowingly employ a bad driver.

Points & Licence Classes

Finally, unless you are prohibited from driving, having points will not prevent you from obtaining a different class of driver's license.

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