Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

1 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.3 points
• B.4 points
• C.6 points
• D.7 pointsAnswer

Explanation: Failing to remain at the scene of a collision and failing to stop when signalled by a police officer are the most heavily penalised offences on the demerit point scale — 7 points each.

2 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.Careless drivingAnswer
• B.Following too closely
• C.Failing to signal a turn
• D.Exceeding the speed limit by 20 km/h

Explanation: Careless driving, racing, exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h or more and failing to stop for a school bus each carry 6 points. Following too closely is 4 points, speeding by 16–29 km/h is 3 and failing to signal is 2.

3 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.2 points
• B.3 points
• C.6 points
• D.4 pointsAnswer

Explanation: Speeding by 16–29 km/h is 3 points, by 30–49 km/h is 4 points, and by 50 km/h or more is 6 points.

4 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.Failing to signal before turning
• B.Failing to obey a stop signAnswer
• C.Racing another vehicle
• D.Failing to stop for a police officer

Explanation: Disobeying a stop sign, failing to yield the right-of-way, speeding by 16–29 km/h and using a hand-held device are all 3-point offences. Failing to signal is 2 points, racing is 6 and failing to stop for police is 7.

5 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.1 year from the conviction date
• B.3 years from the offence date
• C.2 years from the offence dateAnswer
• D.Until you renew your licence

Explanation: Demerit points remain on your record for 2 years from the date of the offence, not from the date of conviction.

6 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.A novice driver is suspended for 30 days at 15 points
• B.A fully licensed driver is suspended for 60 days at 9 points
• C.Points are erased after 1 year
• D.A fully licensed driver is suspended for 30 days at 15 pointsAnswer

Explanation: A fully licensed driver's licence is suspended for 30 days at 15 or more points. Novice (G1/G2) drivers face a 60-day suspension at 9 or more points.

7 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.An immediate 3-day licence suspension
• B.An immediate 7-day licence suspensionAnswer
• C.An immediate 14-day licence suspension
• D.Nothing, because 0.06 is under the criminal limit

Explanation: A BAC of 0.05 to 0.079 is the 'warn range': an immediate roadside suspension of 7 days for a first occurrence, 14 days for a second and 30 days for a third, plus a monetary penalty of $250, $350 and $450. A BAC of 0.08 or more is a Criminal Code offence.

8 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.Only drivers under 18
• B.Only G1 drivers
• C.Drivers aged 21 and under, G1/G2 drivers and commercial driversAnswer
• D.All drivers, at all times

Explanation: Ontario's zero-tolerance law covers young, novice and commercial drivers: anyone aged 21 or under, any driver holding a G1, G2, M1 or M2 licence, and drivers of vehicles needing an A–F licence or a CVOR. It applies to cannabis as well as alcohol. For a young or novice driver, a first occurrence brings a 7-day immediate licence suspension, a $60–$1,000 fine if convicted and a $250 penalty.

9 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.A 90-day licence suspensionAnswer
• B.A 30-day licence suspension
• C.Licence cancellation
• D.A warning letter

Explanation: Novice drivers face escalating sanctions: a 30-day suspension for the first, a 90-day suspension for the second, and cancellation of the licence for the third, after which the graduated licensing program must be started over.

10 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.3 demerit points and a 3-day suspension
• B.6 demerit points and a 7-day suspension
• C.A warning letter from the ministry
• D.A 30-day licence suspension, with no demerit pointsAnswer

Explanation: A novice driver pays the same fine as a fully licensed one but collects no demerit points. Longer suspensions take their place: 30 days for a first conviction, 90 days for a second, and cancellation of the licence — back to the start of graduated licensing — for a third.

11 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.Driving 40 km/h or more over the limit where the limit is under 80 km/hAnswer
• B.Driving 20 km/h over the limit on a freeway
• C.Driving 30 km/h over the limit on a road posted at 50 km/h
• D.Staying in the left-hand lane while doing the speed limit

Explanation: Stunt driving is 40 km/h or more over the limit where the limit is under 80 km/h, 50 km/h or more over it anywhere, or 150 km/h and up however the road is posted — including a freeway posted at 110 km/h. Deliberately cutting another vehicle off, or keeping one from passing, counts as well.

12 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.The vehicle is impounded only if the driver owns it
• B.An immediate 30-day licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundmentAnswer
• C.A 7-day suspension and a 3-day impoundment
• D.A ticket, with everything else left to the court

Explanation: Stunt driving costs the licence and the car on the spot — 30 days and 14 days — and the vehicle goes to the pound whether or not it is the driver's. A conviction then adds 6 demerit points, a fine of $2,000 to $10,000 and a licence suspension that starts at a year for a first conviction.

13 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.2 demerit points and a warning letter
• B.Nothing beyond the fine printed on the ticket
• C.6 demerit points, a fine of up to $2,000, up to 6 months in jail and a suspension of up to 2 yearsAnswer
• D.3 demerit points and a $200 fine

Explanation: Careless driving is the charge for endangering other people — including through a distraction the hand-held device law does not reach, such as eating or grooming. A conviction carries 6 demerit points, a fine of up to $2,000, a jail term of up to 6 months and a licence suspension of up to 2 years.

14 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.A 3-day suspension
• B.2 demerit points, the same as for a fully licensed driver
• C.Nothing — the fine is the whole penalty
• D.At least a 30-day licence suspension, and possibly cancellation of the licenceAnswer

Explanation: A novice driver faces at least a 30-day suspension, and possible cancellation of the licence, for any conviction for following too closely, careless driving, failing to remain at the scene of a collision, stunt driving, or speeding 30 km/h or more over the limit.

15 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.A 90-day licence suspension and the vehicle impounded for 7 daysAnswer
• B.A 7-day licence suspension and a $250 penalty
• C.A 3-day licence suspension
• D.Nothing until the charge is heard in court

Explanation: At 0.08 or more the licence goes for 90 days and the vehicle is impounded for 7 days, with a $550 penalty and an education course — all before the criminal charge reaches court, where a first conviction means a suspension of at least a year and an ignition interlock device.

16 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.As nothing: a driver is entitled to decline the test
• B.Exactly like being over the limit — the same immediate suspension and impoundmentAnswer
• C.As a minor offence carrying a small fine
• D.As a warn-range reading, so a 3-day suspension

Explanation: Failing or refusing to comply with a demand for alcohol or drug testing carries the same penalties as a reading of 0.08 or more: an immediate 90-day suspension, a 7-day vehicle impoundment and a $550 penalty. Refusing is not a way out of the test.

17 of 17 · Demerit points, alcohol & penalties

• A.Yes, as long as the vehicle is in park
• B.Yes, for a few seconds
• C.No — the law applies while you are stopped in traffic or at a red lightAnswer
• D.Yes, because the vehicle is not moving

Explanation: Simply holding a phone while driving is against the law, and the law applies while you are stopped in traffic or at a red light. A mounted device may be touched only to make, answer or end a call; a hand-held one only to call emergency services.