Getting a traffic ticket (a kind of provincial violation ticket) can be a confusing and stressful experience. Check out the links below for some resources to get your patrons started dealing with their tickets, including information on how to dispute them.
Received a ticket? Check out People Law School’s page If you get a traffic ticket. The page includes information on what to do when receiving a ticket, what the ticket may mean for your driving record, and options on dealing with the ticket, including disputing it.
If your patron simply wants to learn more about their options to pay a traffic ticket, you can direct them to the BC government page Pay a provincial violation ticket. This page includes information about how to pay a ticket online, by mail, by phone, or in-person.
For more in-depth information to help your patrons understand, pay, or dispute their tickets, check out the BC government website Ticket information in British Columbia. Patrons can use the Understand my Ticket Solution Explorer to receive information and guidance specific to their situation and the ticket they’ve received; responses from the Solution Explorer are crafted based on the information patrons enter in the system.
If patrons want to dispute their ticket, they can do so directly through this website on the Dispute Your Ticket page; this option is for those who:
- Want to request time to pay their ticket
- Want to ask the court to reduce the fine as they can’t pay the current fine amount
- Don't think the offence can be proven or want to raise a defence
For those who prefer a print option, similar information is available in the BC government brochure Violation Tickets: How to pay or dispute a Provincial Violation ticket. This brochure is available in PDF and can be easily printed.
Another option is the LSLAP Manual, which includes a chapter on Motor Vehicle Law. The chapter includes a section on traffic tickets and how to dispute them, as well as information about your obligations and rights when pulled over by the police, common provincial driving offences, penalty points, and vehicle impoundment. You can access this title on Clicklaw Wikibooks and in print on the shelves of your library!
If your patron decides to dispute their traffic ticket, they may end up having to attend a traffic court hearing. The BC Provincial Court has some pages that can help them prepare for their hearing and know what to expect:
- Getting ready for traffic, ticket, and bylaw court: has information on disputing a ticket, asking for a lower fine, changing the hearing date, how to prepare for the hearing, and what to do if you need a hearing in a language other than English. For more information on requesting an interpreter for Provincial Court, see their page on Interpreters.
- Traffic court hearing: includes information about courtroom conduct, what to wear, pleading guilty or not guilty to the offence, and the usual procedure in the courtroom.
If your patron has a more complex question about traffic tickets or other provincial violation tickets, please feel free to get in touch! You can contact our reference librarians at librarian@courthouselibrary.ca or at 1-800-665-2570.
This article is a LawMatters Blog post written for current awareness at the time of publishing. Please check the publication date as some information may have changed since then.