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Pocket Card: Your Rights at a Traffic Stop

Print it, fold it, keep it in your glovebox. The essentials of what an officer can and cannot do at your window in Ontario, on one card. Free, from PRINT Canada.

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Pocket Card
Ontario

Your rights at a traffic stop.

If you are driving, you must

Stop when signalled.
Show licence, registration, insurance.

You can decline

To answer questions (where you are going, if you have been drinking). You may stay silent.
To consent to a search. They need grounds, a warrant, or your consent.

You usually cannot decline

A lawful roadside breath test. Refusing is a criminal offence.

If detained or arrested, say

"I want to speak to a lawyer."

Then stop talking. You can also ask: "Am I free to go?"

Stay calm. Do not resist. Protect the record, so a lawyer can deal with it later.

printmag.org

General information, not legal advice. Ontario, 2026.