Ottawa Copper

[snoopyc4]

Question, what are the laws with regard to a foreigner (from USA) driving in your province with radar detector or similar devices in their cars that were legal in their home state and in their home country?

Whether you are a foreigner or native, I'm pretty sure your radar detector will get confiscated if you are caught with one in Ontario.

Paul, do you know this LEO?

[Qui-Gon]

What sort of documentation do you need to get into Canadia theses days? If I drove up with my family, are DL's acceptable?

A passport's your best bet. However, if you don't do much travel outside the continent, an EDL (enhanced driver's license) is acceptable, and what I used the last time I traveled to Montreal.

[paulottawa]

Wow, stunt driving carries very stiff penalties!

Question, what are the laws with regard to a foreigner (from USA) driving in your province with radar detector or similar devices in their cars that were legal in their home state and in their home country?

Also, what about window tint?

Oh, I almost forgot, welcome to the forum. Remember, forum members only get warnings (just kidding).

Even if they are legal in your state, they are not legal in Ontario, so since you are driving in that province you have to adhere to the rules of the province.

As for tint, there is no magic % or number. The section is quite vague actually. My general rule is that on a bright sunny day if I'm looking in to from the front passenger / driver window and can't see inside or identify the driver as a male or female. Further to that once stopped, I usually put a DL behind the tint and if I cant see through it, its too dark. Mind you I wouldn't be enforcing that on a dark night where there is no street lights or what not..

[SaltyinNJ]

All done for safety right? Yea, and my ass smells like cherry pie.

[paulottawa]

Question, what are the laws with regard to a foreigner (from USA) driving in your province with radar detector or similar devices in their cars that were legal in their home state and in their home country?

Whether you are a foreigner or native, I'm pretty sure your radar detector will get confiscated if you are caught with one in Ontario.

Paul, do you know this LEO?

No I do not. The OPP, Ontario Provincial Police cover the entire province and have numerous detachments. So being in the Ottawa region, if he doesn't work there, I wouldn't meet him.

That is a wild collection. I have mine destroyed that I seize. I have kept a couple for training purposes when I teach Radar/Lidar.

[paulottawa]

All done for safety right? Yea, and my ass smells like cherry pie.

What are you referring to?The stunt driving laws or the tint?

[paulottawa]

Wow, and I thought VA was bad.

Ontario is without a doubt, the most punitive jurisdiction for HTA (highway traffic act) offences in North America. My main issue with the stunt driving law, is that there are laws already on the books for excessive speeding that would fall in the category of dangerous driving. That's part of the Criminal Code of Canada. That means jail time for dangerous driving. This BS law brought in by McTax and spend is all about revenue generation. My sister in-law is a Toronto Copper. Even she can't say with a straight face that they're out there for safety. This is all about money. This roadside confiscation of the vehicle, towing fees, storage fees, impound fees, license suspension ($155) is all done BEFORE stepping foot in court, to have your say in front of a Justice of the Peace. This is total BS! Right now there are three pending cases in front of the Ontario Court of Appeal to have this BS law declared unconstitutional. Just like McGuinty, the sooner this law is gone, the better we'll be. The traffic LEO's in this province get away with way too much.

Just to let you know that speed alone doesn't constitute Dangerous Driving, it has to be many other factors. Not to mention, in reality you are much more likely to get a higher penalty under the Highway Traffic Act than under the Criminal Code for Dangerous driving.

Dangerous Driving, realistically would net a 1000$ and a 1 year discretionary prohibition.

[SaltyinNJ]

All done for safety right? Yea, and my ass smells like cherry pie.

What are you referring to?The stunt driving laws or the tint?

Most of what you're speaking about in general You seem like a good guy, but you can't be serious in saying that all this is done for safety. Thats all.

[switch626]

Wow, stunt driving carries very stiff penalties!

Question, what are the laws with regard to a foreigner (from USA) driving in your province with radar detector or similar devices in their cars that were legal in their home state and in their home country?

Also, what about window tint?

Oh, I almost forgot, welcome to the forum. Remember, forum members only get warnings (just kidding).

Even if they are legal in your state, they are not legal in Ontario, so since you are driving in that province you have to adhere to the rules of the province.

As for tint, there is no magic % or number. The section is quite vague actually. My general rule is that on a bright sunny day if I'm looking in to from the front passenger / driver window and can't see inside or identify the driver as a male or female. Further to that once stopped, I usually put a DL behind the tint and if I cant see through it, its too dark. Mind you I wouldn't be enforcing that on a dark night where there is no street lights or what not..

Thanks for the info. Good to know in case I ever drive up to your region. That sounds like a pretty fair way to deal with window tint. I think mine would be borderline, so a 50/50 chance i would have a problem there. Mine is definitely not legal in my area, but it's a ticket that carries no points and is not avidly enforced, so well worth risking. I have only been ticketed a few times for this in my driving career, yet I almost never have legal tint.

As much as it breaks my heart to see all those RDs being destroyed, I am glad they don't turn up on Ebay. Integrity in law enforcement is alway a plus

How do you usually find radar detector violators? Do you have a radar detector detector in every car, or do you rely more on visual? What are the penalties when you find one? Also, what happens when it is of the built into the car variety?

[wolfpacal]

Wow, and I thought VA was bad.

Ontario is without a doubt, the most punitive jurisdiction for HTA (highway traffic act) offences in North America. My main issue with the stunt driving law, is that there are laws already on the books for excessive speeding that would fall in the category of dangerous driving. That's part of the Criminal Code of Canada. That means jail time for dangerous driving. This BS law brought in by McTax and spend is all about revenue generation. My sister in-law is a Toronto Copper. Even she can't say with a straight face that they're out there for safety. This is all about money. This roadside confiscation of the vehicle, towing fees, storage fees, impound fees, license suspension ($155) is all done BEFORE stepping foot in court, to have your say in front of a Justice of the Peace. This is total BS! Right now there are three pending cases in front of the Ontario Court of Appeal to have this BS law declared unconstitutional. Just like McGuinty, the sooner this law is gone, the better we'll be. The traffic LEO's in this province get away with way too much.

Just to let you know that speed alone doesn't constitute Dangerous Driving, it has to be many other factors. Not to mention, in reality you are much more likely to get a higher penalty under the Highway Traffic Act than under the Criminal Code for Dangerous driving.

Dangerous Driving, realistically would net a 1000$ and a 1 year discretionary prohibition.

Point taken. When I see idiots going 150+ around the GTA, racing each other, tailgating, changing lanes with no signals, cutting people off etc, I can't understand why those people can't be taken to jail for endangering the lives of everyone around them, hence the dangerous driving - criminal offence. This stunt driving legislation was brought in because of a few; very high profile accidents around the GTA a few years back. I see it the same way as the RLC tickets, or the old photo radar tickets we had in Ontario when Bob Rae was premier. It's done (in my opinion) strictly for revenue generation for the province. Which would deter you more? a fine, a temporary (7 day) loss of driving privileges, and the next week your behind the wheel of your car again, or, an arrest for dangerous driving and jail time. I know which one I'd be more afraid of. Case in point about how bad this law is, driving back from Ottawa last year, my mom was rushing my dad to the hospital as he was going in to a diabetic coma (sugars were 2.3) an OPP LEO near Kingston, clocked her at 46 km over the limit. She explained to him that my father was in distress and was rushing him to the hospital. The LEO's response "I don't care why you're speeding, your going 46 over, you don't like the ticket, take it to court" He went on to mention that 4 more over, and he WOULD have seized the vehicle on the spot. LEO's here use no discretion anymore, just ticket for everything and there's no common sense applied. What do you know about the 3 pending cases in front of the Court of Appeal? One of them charged with this stunt driving law was a 70+ year old grandmother who had her vehicle impounded and license suspended for street racing. It's just nuts here! I'll give you credit for walking in to the Lions Den (this site) but I'm fairly certain you're not going to find anyone here that thinks the balance of power with Ontario LEO's and Ontario drivers is equal; not even close.