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In Ontario, a driving conviction adds between 2 and 7 demerit points to your licence, depending on the offence. Points stay on your record for two years from the date of the offence. Every offence on this page also appears as a conviction on your 3-year driver abstract once you pay the ticket or are found guilty.
Speeding demerit points in Ontario
| How far over the limit | Points |
|---|---|
| 16–29 km/h over | 3 |
| 30–49 km/h over | 4 |
| 40 km/h or more over, on a road with a limit under 80 km/h | 6 |
| 50 km/h or more over | 6 |
Speeding up to 15 km/h over the limit carries a fine but no demerit points.
Full demerit points table
| Offence | Points |
|---|---|
| 7 points | |
| Failing to remain at the scene of a collision | 7 |
| Failing to stop when signalled or asked to by a police officer | 7 |
| 6 points | |
| Careless driving | 6 |
| Racing | 6 |
| Speeding 40 km/h or more over, on a road with a limit under 80 km/h | 6 |
| Speeding 50 km/h or more over | 6 |
| Failing to stop for a school bus | 6 |
| 5 points | |
| Failing to stop at an unprotected railway crossing (bus drivers only) | 5 |
| 4 points | |
| Speeding 30–49 km/h over | 4 |
| Following too closely | 4 |
| Failing to stop at a pedestrian crossover | 4 |
| 3 points | |
| Holding or using a hand-held phone or entertainment device while driving | 3 |
| Viewing a display screen unrelated to driving | 3 |
| Speeding 16–29 km/h over | 3 |
| Driving through, around or under a railway crossing barrier | 3 |
| Driving the wrong way on a divided road | 3 |
| Going the wrong way on a one-way road | 3 |
| Driving on a closed road | 3 |
| Failing to yield the right-of-way | 3 |
| Failing to obey a stop sign, stop/slow sign, traffic light or railway crossing signal | 3 |
| Failing to obey a police officer’s directions | 3 |
| Failing to report a collision to police | 3 |
| Failing to slow down and carefully pass a stopped emergency vehicle or tow truck with amber lights flashing | 3 |
| Failing to move over a lane, where possible, when passing a stopped emergency vehicle or tow truck | 3 |
| Improper passing | 3 |
| Improper driving on a road divided into lanes | 3 |
| Crossing a divided road where there is no proper crossing | 3 |
| Crowding the driver’s seat | 3 |
| Driving a vehicle equipped with a radar detector | 3 |
| Improper use of a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane | 3 |
| 2 points | |
| Improper right turn | 2 |
| Improper left turn | 2 |
| Prohibited turn | 2 |
| Improperly opening a vehicle door | 2 |
| Towing people on toboggans, bicycles or skis | 2 |
| Unnecessarily slow driving | 2 |
| Backing up on a highway | 2 |
| Failing to dim headlights (lower your high beams) | 2 |
| Failing to obey signs | 2 |
| Failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing | 2 |
| Failing to share the road | 2 |
| Failing to signal | 2 |
| Driver not wearing a seat belt | 2 |
| Failing to secure a child in a car seat or booster seat | 2 |
| Failing to properly secure a passenger under 23 kg | 2 |
| Failing to make sure a passenger under 16 is wearing a seat belt and seated properly | 2 |
A pedestrian crossover (marked with signs and road markings, usually without traffic lights) carries 4 points, while failing to stop at other pedestrian crossings carries 2.
When do demerit points lead to a suspension?
| Points | Full licence (G, M) | Novice licence (G1, G2, M1, M2) |
|---|---|---|
| 2–5 | No action | Warning letter |
| 6–8 | Warning letter | Second warning letter |
| 9–14 | Second warning letter | 60-day suspension (at 9 or more) |
| 15+ | 30-day suspension | 60-day suspension |
After a suspension, a fully licensed driver’s points are reduced to 7, and a novice driver’s points are reduced to 4. Those points stay on the record for two years. Collecting more points can lead to an interview with the Ministry, and reaching the suspension level again brings a 6-month suspension.
Do out-of-province tickets add demerit points?
Some do. Convictions in other Canadian provinces and territories, New York State and Michigan add points to your Ontario record as if the offence happened in Ontario. This applies to offences such as speeding, failing to obey a stop sign or signal light, failing to stop for a school bus, racing, failing to remain at a collision and careless driving.
What doesn’t carry demerit points?
- Red light camera tickets are issued to the vehicle’s registered owner, not the driver, so there are no points and no effect on anyone’s driving record.
- Speed camera (automated speed enforcement) tickets work the same way: owner liability, no points.
- Parking tickets are not driving convictions and carry no points.
- Speeding up to 15 km/h over carries a fine but no points.
Criminal Code driving offences, such as impaired or dangerous driving, aren’t on the demerit table. They lead to licence suspensions instead and appear on your driver abstract as convictions.
How demerit points appear on your driver abstract
Your 3-year driver abstract shows your current demerit point total, not a list of every point you’ve received. Because points last two years but the abstract reports convictions for three, a conviction can still appear after its points have expired. A zero-point total doesn’t mean your abstract has no convictions. Our guide to how long demerit points stay on your record explains the timelines.
Sources: Ontario, Understanding demerit points; City of Toronto, Red light cameras. This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change, so check Ontario’s current guidance before relying on it for a decision.
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