Speeding Ticket: Early Resolution vs. Trial in Alberta

When you get a speeding ticket, you have a few options in Alberta. You can go to trial and fight the charge, you can pay the fine and accept the consequences, or you can look for an early resolution for your speeding ticket. 

What does that mean? A speeding ticket early resolution involves meeting with the prosecutor and negotiating. It can lead to a smaller fine and fewer demerit points, which have real long-term benefits.

Key Takeaways

• Drivers in Alberta have three options after a speeding ticket: pay the fine, seek early resolution, or go to trial—and paying outright is often the most expensive choice long-term due to insurance increases.
• Speeding ticket early resolution involves meeting with a prosecutor to negotiate a reduced fine or fewer demerit points, and many drivers don’t realize this option is on the table.
• Knowing what to say at an early resolution meeting for a speeding ticket, being prepared, respectful, and letting the evidence speak for itself, improves your odds of a favourable outcome.
• Demerit points stay on your driving record for three years, can trigger a license suspension at 15 points, and directly impact insurance premiums.
• Working with a traffic ticket expert, rather than going in alone, significantly improves your chances at both early resolution and trial.

What Are Your Options When You Get a Speeding Ticket?

Speeding tickets are among the most common traffic tickets in Alberta, which can lead many drivers to assume they should pay the fine and move on. That can be the worst decision you can make. Along with the fine that is listed on the ticket, there are hidden costs that come with a speeding ticket, including:

• Demerit points that stay on your driving record for three years and could result in a suspended license
• If you get 15 demerit points, your license is suspended
• Hikes in the insurance premiums you pay, with even a minor conviction possibly resulting in a 25% increase

With that in mind, seeking an alternative resolution is in most drivers’ best interests when they get a speeding ticket. You have a few options: You can pay the fine, go to trial, or try for a speeding ticket early resolution, where you’ll meet with the prosecutor and try to negotiate a reduced penalty. This can result in lower fines and demerit points being reduced or thrown out. In some cases, early resolution can even result in the ticket being dismissed.

At We Defend, we’ve seen the same pattern again and again. It can feel like paying the fine is the easiest option when you get a speeding ticket and doing so will make it feel like you’ve put the whole ordeal behind you, but it’s almost never the cheapest option once insurance renewal comes around.

What Happens If You Do Nothing When You Get a Speeding Ticket?

If you get a speeding ticket and do nothing, you’re effectively pleading guilty. You’ll be convicted when you don’t show up in court and will have to pay the fine before you are able to renew your driver’s license. The same demerit points will go on your driving record, and if you get enough in a two-year period, your license will be suspended.

Demerit points shouldn’t be taken lightly, and they’ll go on your driving record the day you are convicted. The number of points you get will depend on how fast you were accused of going.

• 1-15 km/hour over the speed limit: 2 demerit points
• 16-30 km/hour over the speed limit: 3 demerit points
• 31-50 km/hour over the speed limit: 4 demerit points
• 51+ km/hour over the speed limit: 6 demerit points

Ultimately, ignoring a speeding ticket will be just as bad for you in the long run as simply paying the fine. It’s why fighting the ticket and trying for early resolution is always the better option.

What Is an Early Resolution Meeting?

For a speeding ticket, early resolution meetings normally happen on your court date and involve meeting with a prosecutor. You will discuss:

• The specifics of the charges
• Your driving record and whether you have a history of similar infractions
• Possible reductions

Why Choose Early Resolution?

There are several reasons to choose early resolution of a speeding ticket, including reductions in the amount you’ll owe and the number of demerit points you’ll be assigned. In our experience, many drivers don’t even realize reductions are on the table and just assume the fine on the ticket is what they’ll have to pay until they go into early resolution.

The benefit for the prosecutor is that they don’t need to go to trial, either. They’ll likely need witnesses, including police officers who are often paid overtime to attend court, so speeding ticket early resolution can save the government money. Prosecutors also deal with dozens of these meetings a day, and we’ve learned that being prepared and respectful in an early resolution meeting is far more effective than being combative.

For you, even if you accept reduced charges and plead guilty to them, you don’t need to go to trial and will likely face fewer fines, and there will be less of an impact on your driving record. That, in turn, may prevent any increases to the insurance premiums you pay.

What to Expect When You Meet with a Prosecutor

Prosecutors are required to hand over any evidence that’s been collected through a process called disclosure, so they won’t be trying to trick you or hide anything. For many offences, agreeing to an early resolution can save them time, like with a speeding ticket, and our team of experts has reviewed enough disclosure packages to know what to look for. Often, the details prosecutors hand over are even more important than drivers are expecting.

This is where having a traffic ticket expert like the team at We Defend can be particularly helpful. Traffic ticket experts have worked with many prosecutors at traffic court before and can negotiate effectively to secure an early resolution to a speeding ticket that works for you. They know what to say at an early resolution meeting for speeding.

When meeting with a prosecutor, you should expect: 

• To go over the charges against you
• Speak about any evidence that’s been collected
• Look at your driving record and whether you’ve had speeding tickets in the past
• Discuss early resolution options, including a reduced fine and demerit points

How to Prepare for an Early Resolution Meeting

When you hire a traffic court expert like the team at We Defend, they will talk to the prosecutor for you on your court date, and this will give you the best possible chance of beating the charges. But there are things you can do to give yourself the best chance in early resolution, too:

1. Contact We Defend as early as possible: It doesn’t need to be immediately after you get ticketed, but don’t wait long. As traffic court experts, we’ll review the details of your case and come up with the best defence possible, but the sooner you get in touch, the sooner we can get started. Every case is different, but we’ve found again and again that the earlier you start building your case, the more options you’ll have.
2. Collect Evidence: It might be dash cam footage, or it might be statements from witnesses, including friends and family who were in your care with you at the time of the ticket. The more evidence you have, the better.
3. Dress professionally for your court date: You’ll want to present yourself in the best light possible on your court date. The early resolution meeting should be approached with respect. In our experience, drivers have the best chance of beating a ticket when they let the evidence speak for itself and don’t argue that the ticket was fair.

Protect Your Driving Record with the Right Approach

A speeding ticket can have lasting consequences beyond the fine itself, including demerit points and higher insurance costs. Working with a traffic ticket expert gives you the best chance of reducing or dismissing charges through early resolution or trial.

Book your free consultation with We Defend and protect your driving record today.

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