Ontario · Distracted Driving · London
Handheld Device Ticket in London
Charged on Highbury, Veterans Memorial Parkway, or the 401 through London? A distracted driving conviction suspends your licence starting with the first offence, even though it's a Part I ticket. Know what's actually at stake before you pay it.
Tell us what you're facing.
Distracted Driving in London — how it actually works
London Police Service patrols the city's arterials — Wonderland Road, Wharncliffe Road, Highbury Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway — while the OPP covers Highway 401 and Highway 402 through the city. A s.78.1 Highway Traffic Act charge for a hand-held device can come from either, and either way the file is prosecuted at 824 Dundas Street East.
It's a Part I ticket, but the consequence isn't typical of one: a conviction suspends your licence from the first offence — 3 days, then 7, then 30 — stacked on a fine starting at $500 and 3 demerit points. How distracted driving charges are defended in Ontario covers the full penalty tiers and where a defence actually has traction.
Highbury and Veterans Memorial are the two corridors where London drivers most often end up charged, and in both cases the file usually turns on whether the device was mounted or genuinely held, and how clear the officer's view actually was.
In our experience
Veterans Memorial Parkway and Highbury Avenue are where London Police Service lays a steady share of s.78.1 charges — both corridors have enough stop-and-go signal timing that a phone in hand at a red light is an easy, visible charge.
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Distracted Driving in London — questions we get
My London ticket reads "HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE" — is that distracted driving?
Yes. That's the exact wording Ontario officers write on the ticket for a s.78.1 Highway Traffic Act charge, commonly called distracted driving. If your ticket reads that way, this is your charge.
Does a London distracted driving conviction suspend my licence the same as elsewhere?
Yes — the Highway Traffic Act sets the suspension province-wide. A first conviction carries a 3-day suspension in addition to the fine and 3 demerit points, rising to 7 days on a second and 30 on a third, regardless of which court hears it.
Where is a London distracted driving ticket heard?
London Provincial Offences Court at 824 Dundas Street East — every Highway Traffic Act charge laid within the City of London, whether by the OPP or London Police Service, is prosecuted from that single court.
Related pages
This may not be the whole picture — here's how we handle other charges in London, and how Distracted Driving plays out in other Ontario cities.