The "General Penalty" — When the Act Doesn't Set a Fine

The Highway Traffic Act specifies an exact fine for some offences. For many others, it does not, and section 214 of the Act supplies a default range instead.

What to Know

• Where the Act does not set a specific fine, section 214's general penalty applies: a fine of $60 to $1,000.
• Demerit points can still apply to a general-penalty offence even though the fine itself is not fixed at a specific number.
• Insurance rates can still be affected by a conviction under the general penalty, the same as any other moving violation.
• A wide range of less-common charges — signage, snow deposit, plate visibility, and others — fall under this same default penalty.