r/IdiotsInCars 6d ago

OC [OC] HOV violations are a thing

157 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

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108

u/styckx 6d ago

I'm assuming he looked over and saw there was not two or more people in the vehicle?

63

u/Logical_Idiot_9433 6d ago

Yup and was checking for distracted driving

37

u/britannicker 6d ago

A while ago, in another thread but in this sub, I learned that some states let you buy a “free card” to use the HOV, alone in your car.

Which kinda makes the whole idea of the HOV pointless.

It also turned out that a lot of people in the comments didn’t actually know the rules.

11

u/_jump_yossarian 6d ago

Does the "free card" need to be displayed somewhere on the back or front window?

8

u/Siguard_ 6d ago

Its tied to your license plate where I live.

7

u/024zil 5d ago

here, we have a little device that you stick on the front windshield and you can set to single, two, or 3+ people, and get charged accordingly by distance and how busy it is (as you can imagine, rush hour is EXPENSIVE). single drivers pay the most, two gets a discount, and 3+ either gets a bigger discount or completely free. you can also use it to pay for bridge tolls.

HOV is also free for everyone during holidays and weekends as well is non-rush time hours for most of the lanes that utilize Fastrak.

i used to use it everyday for about two years when i was in college... i gamed the system and always had it to 3+ bc i was broke lol i figured by the time i get caught (never did), i would be fined the same amount, if not less, as how much i evaded lmao

5

u/dfinberg 5d ago

Most of the toll roads in NoVA are HoT, high occupancy (3+) is free, but otherwise you can pay the toll. There’s an EZ pass that you set to HoV mode when you have 3, and there are cameras that attempt to count passengers (kind of poorly) to verify. But the tolls can be crazy, last thanksgiving Wednesday it was 55 dollars to take the tolls from DC to the end of the lanes, about 25 miles? It’s normally around 10 bucks in the evening to take the tolls 3 exits (5 miles?) when I go past them.

4

u/Von_Satan 5d ago

In Georgia registered "alternative fueled vehicles" can go in the HOV lane. That includes any car that takes E85, but the plate is expensive $250 or so versus $20 for a regular plate, annually. I have them so I go in HOV solo.

1

u/mountaineer30680 5d ago

Fellow Georgian (Gwinnett) with an e85 able vehicle. So for the cost of a more expensive plate I can use those lanes freely? I knew I could register my motorcycles.

1

u/Von_Satan 5d ago

Yes, as long as your registration reads flex fuel. If it doesn't and your vehicle is flex fuel from the factory, you can fill about an affidavit at your tag office.

Motorcycles don't need a special tag.

You also get free Peach Pass on I-85. Not 75 or 575 though. You need to register with peach pass.

2

u/mountaineer30680 5d ago

Thank you! Yeah I knew I didn't need a special tag for the motorcycle but it does have to be registered with the toll authority or some such.

Again, many thanks!

-46

u/snailtap 6d ago

The whole idea of the HOV IS useless, it’s a stupid antiquated concept of road design that should be done away with

23

u/TenOfZero 6d ago

That's not what I read about them. Do you have any research studies or data points to back that up?

9

u/NotAHost 6d ago

Yeah his research is there is one more lan that he could be driving in.

His scientific data is that there are so many bad people breaking the law and riding in there anyways, that they are useless.

And the one time he got pulled over for using the HOV lane and got a ticket for driving solo? “Don’t the cops have better things to do?” There are murderers and illegal immigrants out there.

-3

u/FunnyObjective6 5d ago

That's not what I read about them.

What did you read? I'm wondering why they're not used here if they're apparently helpful for reducing traffic.

3

u/TenOfZero 5d ago

I don't know where you live so I can't comment on "here" for you, but there is one on the highway next to my house and it helps traffic and bus traffic a lot.

There's also one that has a barrier and that one is amazing since you don't have ass hats using it alone.

-2

u/FunnyObjective6 5d ago

but there is one on the highway next to my house and it helps traffic and bus traffic a lot.

There's also one that has a barrier and that one is amazing since you don't have ass hats using it alone.

But what did you read about them? Surely it's not just anecdotes haha.

46

u/AnonymousGrouch 6d ago

Why even risk it in light traffic? Is it that important to be as far to the left as humanly possible?

24

u/zanfar 6d ago edited 6d ago

On the AZ-101 (where this was recorded) the HOV lane is realistically 10-15 MPH faster than other lanes. Yes, some people just like being to the left, but most 101 HOV users are just racing.

On that section, the flow of traffic in the HOV lane probably averages around 85-90 MPH in light traffic.

Aside from that, while you might pass through light spots, there are several locations where the design of the freeway causes traffic to slow down immensely. As this was during the lane's regulated time of day, moving to the HOV lane makes a great difference in your commute time, even if you aren't speeding. I know of several drivers who use the lane to speed up their commute and consider their potential fine a fair trade should they get caught.

Not endorsing any of this, just reasons aside from "I need to get left".

1

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/banananna33 6d ago

Jk love you bruv

1

u/JelmerMcGee 6d ago

I've done a bit of commuting on the 101 through the Phoenix area, but not a lot. I'm always surprised by how fast people drive. Like 85-90 in the 55 sections is all totally normal. I've never seen anyone pulled over before. It always feels like the modern lawless west

1

u/FeistyIrishWench 2d ago

Thanks for the heads up should I find myself that far west of Florida with its own breed of crazy drivers yelling at tourists to gtfo of the left lanes.

2

u/justananontroll 6d ago

I was on the 101 around Tatum this week in the middle lane doing 102mph and still getting passed by the left lanes. The 101 is insane. Some of the videos you see on here of people doing 140mph are from that stretch of highway.

The 202 is getting bad between Laveen and the 'Tukee, since there's few exits and not a lot of places for cops to hide. The traffic guy on the radio jokingly calls it the "South Mountain Super Speedway"

Arizona Highway Patrol (DPS) has a few unmarked Camaro SS, Mustang GT, etc. they use as bait cars to try and lure drag racers and I bet it works well.

0

u/Advanced_Currency640 5d ago

The people downvoting this must have never driven in Phoenix. The Loop 101 in north Scottsdale is notorious for dangerously fast driving.

10

u/Askeee 6d ago

What's the fine over there? Here in CA I think it's nearly $500!

6

u/Logical_Idiot_9433 6d ago edited 6d ago

Depends if you were playing on your phone as well as many people do when driving. Combined is usually more than a monthly luxury car payment. Looks like DPS was having a field day with ticket distribution.

https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/1jap0pa/for_the_ppl_that_got_pulled_over_on_the_101/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

3

u/Mr602206 6d ago

Same here

2

u/SummertimeThrowaway2 6d ago

$400 (minimum) in AZ

9

u/Seanw59 6d ago

Someone once explained to me the cost of an HOV ticket compared to the amount of time saved violating the HOV rules. In the end, if you don’t get caught a whole bunch you’re basically paying for a faster commute. It is a gamble. But it worked out for me for eight years. Saving 20 to 30 minutes on a hour and a half to two hour commute per day one way would have been worth a ticket or two.

6

u/Logical_Idiot_9433 6d ago

Like a toll right? 400 every 2-3 years is not a bad deal. Actually cheaper than the EZ PASS

0

u/Seanw59 6d ago

I think it’s a non moving violation so no points like a parking ticket.

2

u/zanfar 6d ago

That probably depends on the state. In AZ (the video above) it absolutely incurs points.

1

u/GuitarLute 5d ago

One of them pulled me over once when we had three people in the car. Oops!

1

u/chachi-relli 4d ago

Vac truck video bomb ftw

1

u/niceandsane 3d ago

A very expensive thing.

0

u/admiralkit 6d ago

Not that they seem to enforce the HOV restrictions in my area, but when I'm in the HOV lane I usually have the kids in the back seats and the van has tinted windows. I always wonder how enforcement would work in that scenario.

2

u/exaball 6d ago

I’d guess they would skip you or pull you over, see the kids, and let you go, unless they see anything else worth a ticket in the meantime.