HOV cheats, beware!

Number of tickets initally more than doubled.

The Associated Press
WFLS News
Date published: 12/23/2003

(Undated-AP) -- HOV cheats, beware! Virginia State Police are issuing more tickets to drivers who have no business in the car pool lanes on Interstates 95 and 66.
When they first increased enforcement in July, the rate at which troopers handed out tickets more than doubled -- from 40-a-day to 90.

This month, don't expect any holiday break.
According to published on December ninth, 118 tickets were written for HOV violations. Two days later, troopers wrote 148 tickets.

A state police spokesman tells the paper the number of complaints about violators is down, so the enforcement is working.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


Date published: 12/23/2003

I left the Pentagon at 4:20PM yesterday and saw SEVERAL violators pulled over on our way South. [:)] I normally leave about 5 to 5:30PM, so this was an early day for me.

Due to the congestion([V]), we exited the HOV at the 234 exit (continued South on the main lines), and saw a couple more pulled over in the HOV backup[:)] (talk about adding insult to injury). We thought it was hilarious - not only were the violators not going anywhere fast in the backup, but the cops were handing them tickets for being where they didn't belong[:D][:D]. GREAT! I could see it then - sitting by your lonely self in non-moving HOV traffic when a cop knocks on your window to hand you ticket for being in the HOV lanes (or better yet, the cop sticks it under your windshield wiper like a parking ticket!).

I usually leave work around 3:30 or so, and during December, I have seen noticeably increased enforcement along the I-95 and I-395 HOV lanes in both the morning and evening. On some days, the State Troopers were 2 and 3 thick at the Rt. 1 and PW Parkway (Horner Lot) exits. There were even some Fairfax County cops helping out. They have been writing lots of tickets. Some people never learn... [:D]