Stunt Driving and Racing Ticket Legal Services in Ontario

If you have been charged with Stunt Driving, we can help! Contact us today for your free consultation.

Stunt Driving (also known as “Race A Motor Vehicle” or “Racing”) charges are one of the most serious offences that can be issued under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act.

These charges can be issued for excessive speeding, as well as a wide range of other circumstances that may surprise most Ontario drivers. Even before stepping foot in a courtroom, the police officer will have towed and impounded your vehicle as well as seized and suspended your driver’s license. A defendant can be facing thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses well before their first court date.

This legislation was added to the Highway Traffic Act in 2007. Changes made to the legislation as recently as 2021 have seen the penalties for this offence increase. The process usually involves the towing and impounding of the motor vehicle you were driving and the suspension of your driving privileges in Ontario. The driver will then be exposed to significant transportation fees, impoundment fees, storage fees and license reinstatement costs. This usually results in thousands of dollars spent even before your first court appearance.

Once in court, if convicted, a defendant will be subject to thousands of dollars in fines, a mandatory license suspension, significantly increased insurance rates, and in some cases, incarceration.

If the police have charged you, you’re going to need to seek out critical information to make sure that you are making informed decisions to avoid legal missteps and protect your insurance rates and pocketbook.

Types of Stunt Driving Tickets

The legal grounds under which a Stunt Driving or Race Motor Vehicle charge can be issued include:

• Speeding over 50km/h in a zone that is 80km/hr or more
• Speeding over 40 km/h in a zone that is less than 80 km/hr 
• Driving a motor vehicle at a rate of speed that is 150 km/hr or more.
• Competing or street racing with another vehicle
• Chasing another vehicle
• Driving without due care and attention
• Lifting some or all of a vehicle’s tires from the road
• Driving where the tires lose traction with the road while turning (drifting)
• Spinning or turning a vehicle in an uncontrolled manner
• Driving beside another vehicle while in the oncoming lane of traffic for a prolonged period of time
• Driving with someone in the trunk of the vehicle
• Driving while not in the driver’s seat
• Purposely preventing others from passing
• Purposely stopping or slowing to interfere with other traffic
• Driving unreasonably close to another vehicle, pedestrian or fixed object on or near the highway
• Turning left at an intersection across vehicles with the right of way in the opposite direction upon the light turning green
• Brake-checking a vehicle following you from behind
• Squealing tires in an abandoned parking lot
• Any maneuver inconsistent with normal driving

Stunt Driving Ticket Penalties

Starting from July 1, 2021, speeding over 40 km/h in a zone that is less than 80 km/hr is considered Stunt Driving under the Highway Traffic Act. If you have been charged with Stunt Driving, you could face some or all of the following penalties:

• Court Fine – A conviction for Stunt Driving can result in a fine of not less than $2,000 and not more than $10,000 (plus a 25% victim fine surcharge).
• Driver’s License Suspension – Your driver’s license will also be immediately seized and suspended at the side of the road for 30 days. This means additional transportation costs in meeting your day-to-day travel requirements. Worst case, if your employer specifically requires having a valid driver’s license, you could miss time at work or face loss of employment.

Upon conviction of Stunt Driving, you could face the following suspensions:

• A license suspension of 1 to 3 years for a first offence
• A license suspension of 3 to 10 years for a subsequent offence
• A lifetime license cancellation (that may be reduced in certain circumstances)
• A permanent lifetime license cancellation

• Vehicle Impoundment – Upon being charged, your vehicle will immediately be towed and impounded for 14 days. Towing and impounding fees can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
• Imprisonment – A Stunt Driving conviction could result in a jail term of up to six months. It is therefore imperative to seek help from a licensed paralegal who can help you avoid imprisonment. This level of penalty is rare, however, it does happen.
• 6 Demerit Points – The MTO ranks Stunt Driving as a six demerit point offence. A convicted defendant will, at a minimum, receive an MTO warning letter regarding their license. Depending upon your driving history and current demerit points, you could also be required to attend an MTO interview (that you must pay to attend) or face a mandatory suspension of your driver’s license for accumulating too many demerit points.
• 5 CVOR Points – For Commercial Drivers Stunt Driving offences carry the highest possible CVOR penalty of five points. 
• An Insurance Increase – Given the serious nature of Stunt Driving, a conviction may result in no longer being insurable under a standard insurance policy. Being forced into high-risk or even facility insurance can result in thousands of dollars of additional insurance costs which results in the cost being unaffordable for many drivers.

Insurance Rates With a Stunt Driving Conviction 

Stunt Driving convictions generally impact insurance rates. Your insurance broker is your most reliable source of information on the potential impact of a conviction. Generally, they will consider the severity of the new offence along with your driving history in calculating their risk assessment and your insurance rate. If the risk assessment is high, your current insurance policy may be cancelled, and you will be required to seek out high-risk or facility insurance. 

You should understand that the more convictions you have on your driving record and the greater the severity of those offences, the greater the expense of obtaining automobile insurance. Once your risk assessment reaches a certain point, you will no longer qualify for standard insurance coverage and will have to seek out high-risk or facility insurance coverage that is very expensive to obtain.

Consequences for Novice Drivers

Novice drivers (such as those with a G1, G2, M1, or M2 license) are subject to additional licensing restrictions compared to a fully licensed driver. One such limitation is that being convicted of any single offence that carries four or more demerit points will result in the MTO applying escalated sanctions penalties as follows:

• 30-day license suspension for the first occurrence
• 90-day license suspension for the second occurrence
• License cancellation and a requirement to re-apply for a G1/M1 after the third occurrence. Any fees paid, credit received for time spent in the program or BDE credit would be forfeited when the license is cancelled.

Please Note – in the case of a hybrid driver, only the novice-class license is cancelled on the third occasion; their full-class license is maintained.

Novice drivers may already be at a default higher level of risk assessment for insurance costs. A conviction for Stunt Driving may therefore result in a larger impact on insurability and insurance costs compared to an equivalent driver with a full driver’s license. Your insurance broker will be able to provide you with more specific information.

Consequences for Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers

Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers must aggressively protect their driving record. CMV drivers face all of the usual licensing and insurance problems faced by non-commercial drivers. However, more importantly, a conviction for Stunt Driving can also directly impact their current or future employability. If a transport truck driver or other CMV driver is charged with Stunt Driving while on the job, their offence notice will likely include their employer’s CVOR number. If convicted, not only would the driver receive a record of conviction and six demerit points, but their employer’s CVOR would also receive a record of conviction and 5 CVOR points. The company vehicle will also be seized and impounded for 14 days.

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