One of the most common ways that people in British Columbia end up facing a driving prohibition is by having too many points on their record.
There are a number of ways people end up with too many points, and face the risk of losing their driving privileges. You’re probably reading this blog because you want to keep your licence after receiving too many points on your record.
There are four main ways that you can keep your licence after receiving too many points on your record.
Dispute your tickets.
The only way to have points added to your driving record is if you receive tickets and you pay them, or you are found guilty in court. Interestingly, traffic ticket disputes in BC Provincial Court have been declining year over year since 2018, according to the Annual Report for 2022.
The declining rates of traffic ticket disputes correspond to an increase in the rate of people losing their licence after too many points on their driving record. If you receive a ticket and are worried about the points associated with the ticket, the best way to avoid the points going on your record is to dispute the ticket.
While the ticket is in dispute, it does not show up on your record, and you do not get hit with any points. You also buy yourself time to put some distance between the last points you received and the tickets. This is because most traffic court dates in BC take place several months from when you received the ticket.
There are often defences to traffic tickets, and so disputing them will allow you to keep your licence, by potentially allowing you to not have points on your driving record.
Rehabilitate your driving record
As soon as you have received too many points on your driving record, and you are worried about keeping your licence as a result of those points, start taking steps to rehabilitate your driving record. (link to the BC Safe Driving Course website here)
While taking a course will not completely wipe the points from your record, it will demonstrate a pattern of behaviour before the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles intervenes, to show that you have been involved in proactive steps to correct your driving behaviour.
This can go a long way in allowing you to keep your licence after receiving too many points on your driving record.
It can help persuade the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles that taking away your licence isn’t going to teach you the lesson that they believe you need as a result of having too many points on your driving record.
Dispute any driving prohibition letter you receive promptly
If you want to keep your licence after receiving too many points on your driving record, you need to act quickly when you receive a letter in the mail telling you that you are facing a driving prohibition. Whether it is a Notice of Intent to Prohibit or a Notice of Prohibition, the faster you act to dispute that letter, the more likely it is you will keep your license.
A Notice of Intent to Prohibit has a very short time window for disputing it because although the letter itself gives you 21 days to respond, the letter is often not mailed for a week or so. This means that by the time you get the mail, you usually only have a week or even just a few days to put together a submission.
Delaying it does not help you keep your licence. Acting quickly is the most important thing you can do once you have received notification that you may not be able to keep your licence.
Call a lawyer
If you think you have too many points on your driving record, and that you may not be able to keep your licence as a result of receiving too many points, call a lawyer. Even if you have not yet received a letter in the mail, or even if you have already paid your traffic tickets, you can still call a lawyer. You can ask the lawyer questions to find out whether it is likely that you are going to receive a driving prohibition and what steps you need to take to keep your licence.
Getting legal advice when you suspect that you may not be able to keep your licence after getting too many points will put you in a better position to act quickly in the event that you receive a letter saying that you are going to lose your licence for too many points.
Calling a lawyer allows you to be more informed and better armed to protect yourself and to keep your licence after receiving too many points in British Columbia.
