Woman With Child Ticketed For HOV Violation

Hi Phoenix,

Yes, it is amusing. $400.00?! I'd say that's a bit steep, wouldn't you?

Well, you know how I feel it is a child right from conception, so I gotta go along with the woman. Yep, two in the car. So, I am going to keep an eye on this one. I think you might get some very interesting comments.

So, you doing okay lady?

Not bad, momma. How about you?

I'd have to say she's funny, but wrong.

The lane is to transport carpoolers--at least two people who would normally drive two vehicles--to a destination.

That baby already had a ride.

True, but if she had her son sitting in the passenger seat, she would not have been ticketed. I realize the intent of HOV is to encourage people to carpool, but I doubt that the law requires the the passenger be an adult driver,

This is a very stupid person if she thought she could get away with that. Besides, I don't think kids should qualify cars for the carpool lane. It should be people of driving age. Carpool lanes are a joke anyway. I'm glad we don't have them in Boise.

Roverroad- I have never been to Boise, but I am making an assumption that the commuter roads are not as well travelled as those in the larger cities. I had the opportunity to drive across the country with my husband this year, and drove through many metropolitan areas. I REALLY appreciated the HOV lanes, as we zipped through, while people to the right of us crawled.

What about a minivan with one adult and 8 kids in soccer uniforms?

You can't restrict it to adults only.

Egads, that's TINY, compared with many cities.

This woman's a f'n idiot.

Once she claimed there was two in the car, the cop should have ticketed her for having an infant in the front seat, and not being restrained in a car seat. Oh yea, and for being a moron.

I don't think the woman should have been ticketed.

I've driven through big cities just passing through the state. There are 2 of us in the car, we are not carpooling, we would not have otherwise have been driving 2 vehicles.

I think the baby was in the back seat slappy, that's why the mom had to point that out to the police officer.

Found this on a website about Phoenix.

1. What is an HOV lane?
HOV is an acronym for High Occupancy Vehicle. They are also referred to as carpool lanes. These lanes will have a diamond marking and are sometimes called "diamond lanes."

2. Is there a fee charged to use the HOV lane?
No. We don't have any toll roads in the greater Phoenix area and there are no permit stickers. Anyone who follows the rules can use the HOV lanes.

3. Who can use the HOV lane?

A vehicle with 2 or more people in it. People includes babies, but not beagles or inflatable dolls.
Motorcycles, including those with only one person.
AFV vehicles. AFV is the acronym for Alternative Fuel Vehicles. The vehicle must either have an AFV license plate, or an AFV sticker.
Valley Metro buses.
The HOV lanes are restricted during certain hours only. Those restricted hours are 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. During the other hours, and all weekend long, anyone can use the HOV lane. In those non-restricted hours, it's just another lane. By the way, if a holiday falls on a Monday, HOV is still applicable. The hours are posted, Monday through Friday. Holidays are not exempt.

4. Can I use the HOV lane just to pass?
See number (3) above. If you are alone in the vehicle, you may not use the HOV lane for even a second during the restricted hours. You also can't use an exit from which only the HOV lane has access. There are very few of these. Some on ramps to the highways are equipped with merging control lights, and have an HOV lane. Those vehicles don't have to stop at the light.

5. What happens if I get caught in the HOV lane when I shouldn't have been there?
The fine is a hefty one--I've heard it's around $350. It is also a moving violation, so you may be assessed points on your license that could also affect your insurance rate.


Bottom line, a baby is a person, and an occupant of the car.

Chai...the woman was PREGNANT, not in the car with another baby. She's saying she shouldn't get ticketed because there's two people...her, and one inside her.

She should be ticketed, and further fined for wasting the court's time.

OMG, sorry, for some reason, when I read that line, I read that child was IN the car.

Not really awake yet, the dangers of posting with too little caffine in the system.

My bad.

Yes, in this case, the woman should have been driven to the nearest overpass, and thrown off.

sounds like a lame excuse to avoid paying the fine, but it could get interesting should she decide to appeal the ticket and/or sue...

if she'd get away with it, i'd demand she pay for two tickets anytime she's going to a museum or movies... for there's two of them going..... really really retarded.

Quick Chai...Red Bull.

Dag, exactly. If they asked her to do something like pay for two people somewhere, I'm sure she'd object.

HOV lanes do consider babies as an additional person. I have frequently traveled in it with my young children and even when they were infants. I also know some one who was stopped in the HOV lane with a baby. The police officer looked in the back and saw the baby and said, "Oh, o-k you have a baby in the backseat." and let them go.

A baby in the womb - sounds like the woman is just trying to get out of a ticket. They can't let her get away with it otherwise, almost any woman could claim they are pregnant to not get a ticket.

Boise's I-84 between Nampa and Boise can be stop and go during rush hour, though I will admit, it's not as bad as it was in Portland. However, they do nothing to ease traffic congestion. They only make it easier for a small few to get where they are going faster. Portland has even gone so far as to remove some carpool lanes because they weren't doing any good.