If you have just received a ticket, you have 30 days to contest it. Remember that a payment is equivalent to a guilty plea and carries the consequences associated with the offence in question.

If you decide to ignore your ticket or not respond to it after the 30-day period, the court will assume that you plead not guilty. A judge will rule on your case and you will be notified by mail of the judge's decision. You will not be notified of the date of the hearing of your case and you will not have the opportunity to present your defence.

It is best to contest within 30 days of being served with the ticket. After this period, you can always call the municipal court clerk's office of the prosecuting party in your case to ask them about the status of your case and whether a default judgment has been issued against you.

There are several reasons why it is normally best to contest a ticket:

• The more demerit points you accumulate, the more expensive it will be to renew your licence
• This may influence an increase in the price of insurance
• Points remain on the driving record for 2 years
• Some employers might look at this file (delivery man, taxi driver, uber, etc)
• If it is a high speeding offence, there is a notation on the driving record for 10 years