A conviction adds a mandatory further suspension on top of your existing one. Never plead guilty to this charge without speaking to a paralegal first.
The charge under section 53 of the HTA
Driving under suspension applies whether your licence was suspended for unpaid fines, a medical review, a demerit point threshold, or a prior conviction. The Crown does not need to prove you knew you were suspended in most circumstances — only that a suspension was in effect and that you drove.
What a conviction actually costs you
The penalties stack on top of whatever suspension is already in place.
- Fines of $1,000 to $5,000 on a first offence
- A mandatory further 6-month licence suspension, added to your existing one
- Possible jail term of up to 6 months in serious or repeat cases
- Vehicle impoundment
- Near-impossible to find affordable insurance for years afterward
Common defences we look for
The most frequent successful defence is a breakdown in notice — Ontario requires that a suspension notice was properly served or that reasonable steps were taken to inform you. If the Ministry's mailing address on file was outdated, or the suspension had already been reinstated before the stop, the charge may not hold up. We pull your licensing history before advising you on plea options.