Q: I’m a New Driver, and getting my license in November. I got a speeding ticket in November and got put on probation. Now I just got another ticket in July, so did I automatically just get my license suspended or terminated? And if I dispute the ticket, does that pause anything?
It’s not good, that is for sure. According to these government guidelines, since this is a second infraction within 2 years, it looks like you’re in for a 2-6 month prohibition. Click here to read about the Driver Improvement Program.
I have no personal experience with this so I am not sure of the exact procedure, however I found a few quotes from DriveSmartBC website, which was discussing a similar issue (New drivers who had received tickets and who had road tests for Class 5 coming up.)
Quote:
What is more to the point is whether the scheduled road test is more than thirty days after the date of the offense (the illegal turn), because it is my understanding that if a ticket is not disputed, then after thirty days the person is deemed to be guilty.
Another relevant quote from the above article from the office of the superintendent:
Quote:
Once the probation period has ended a driver remains under close scrutiny for an
additional two years and will likely be subject to a driving prohibition if further offenses are
added to the driving record.
In most cases, a Notice of Intent to Prohibit is sent to the driver giving them an opportunity
to make a submission to show why the prohibition should not proceed or should be reduced.
More from DriveSmartBC: Does any Ticket Prohibit you from your Class 5 Exam?
Question: I was about to go for my class 5 license exam this week, but just got a ticket today for changing lane on a solid white line (2 points). Does it mean I have to wait for 2 more years until I can take the class 5 license exam?
Answer: No, the ticket itself will not keep you from taking the Class 5 exam.
It is only a problem if the ticket is enough (you have a previous ticket) to win a driving prohibition from the Superintendent. The prohibition resets the clock on the waiting time for your GLP stage.
Even if you have a previous ticket or prohibition, with only a week’s wait left it is very unlikely the Superintendent will start the prohibition quickly enough to prevent you from taking the test. If you have your Class 5 by the time the paperwork arrives, you will likely be treated as a Class 5 driver in the review.
Are you sure you’re eligible for a road test in November, since your previous prohibition would have reset the time? You may be in for a prohibition again. You could dispute it to try and buy time, but if you were in fact speeding it may be difficult to make a case for yourself, especially considering you may have to wait a long time before being able to do the Class 5 test anyway.
New drivers in the GLP really can not afford to get tickets, especially if you really need your car to get to work, or worse, for work itself. Try to control your speeding.
If you really can’t stop speeding, and seem to enjoy ‘spirited driving’ why don’t you check out these options; ways that you can get the best of both worlds… driving safely on the shared public roads, and driving for fun in a controlled environment.
VCMC Autocross
UBCSCC Autocross
VMSC Autocross (Victoria)
Mission Raceway Park
Dirt Fish Rally School (Washington)
Skip Barber Racing School