7-Point Offences in Ontario

Which offences carry 7 points

Only two common offences sit at the top of Ontario’s demerit-point scale, at 7 points each: failing to remain at the scene of a collision, and failing to stop for a police officer. No other standard Highway Traffic Act offence on the point schedule is assigned a higher value.

Failing to remain at the scene of a collision

Ontario law requires a driver involved in a collision to stop, provide identifying information, and render reasonable assistance where needed. A conviction for failing to remain at the scene — commonly described as a “hit and run” — reflects a driver leaving before those obligations are met. Beyond the demerit points, this offence can carry substantial fines and, depending on the severity of the underlying collision, more serious criminal charges handled outside the provincial ticket process altogether.

Failing to stop for a police officer

When a police officer signals a driver to stop — typically with emergency lights and/or siren — the driver is required to pull over. A conviction for failing to do so reflects a driver who instead continued driving or attempted to evade the stop. Like failing to remain at a collision, this offence often involves circumstances serious enough to draw additional charges beyond the provincial offence itself, particularly where the failure to stop turns into a extended pursuit.

Why these rank highest

Ontario’s point schedule generally tracks the risk an offence poses to other people on the road. What sets these two offences apart from even other 6-point offences like careless or stunt driving is the element of evasion: in both cases, the driver had an opportunity to stop, identify themselves, or comply with a lawful direction, and instead chose to leave. That combination of an underlying incident (a collision, or the reason police wanted the vehicle stopped in the first place) plus active evasion is what places them at the top of the scale.

A single conviction for either offence, on its own, already exceeds the 2–8 point warning-letter range for fully licensed drivers and sits well past the entire novice-driver warning range described in our warning letters and interviews page — it can move a driver close to or into licence-suspension territory from a single event. For a broader look at how this offence category is treated, see our serious traffic offences page.

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