HOV Carpool Lane Traffic Ticket

An HOV ticket is also commonly referred to as a Carpool violation. This is the type of ticket you receive when you drive in the high occupancy vehicle lane without the proper number of people in the car. Normally, an HOV lane requires a car to have two or more occupants (occasionally three in certain areas) in order to legally use the lane. If you go into that lane with less than the required number, then you have violated the statute.

For the most part, there are no excuses to go into the lane without the required number of individuals. The few exceptions include signage in certain areas which indicate the lane is open to all traffic at certain times of the day or there is some other temporary signage stating the restriction is not currently in effect and you are driving during the off hour.

The biggest excuse courts and officers hear, however, is that the incursion into the HOV lane was only going to be brief because the driver was attempting to pass slower traffic.The HOV lane cannot be used as a passing lane.If that were the case, then everyone would be going into the HOV lane to pass all of the slow or stopped traffic during rush hour.

Just like a failure to obey traffic control device ticket, an HOV ticket can be difficult to beat as it is a pretty straight forward case. Were you in the HOV lane? Were you driving by yourself?There are very few technical arguments to be made, unlike in other types of infractions like a Speeding ticket.

Even though there are limited arguments, an attorney can still often find technicalities or negotiate with the prosecutor, so you do not want to give up! Contact one of our experienced Olympia and Thurston County traffic attorneys to discuss your case!

Our Olympia criminal lawyers serve all of Thurston County. Call now for help and real answers.