Huge VENT!!! Don't cut into the HOV Lane!

[pixiewings71]

Our HOV or carpool lanes, do not have a solid line, nor do they have barriers, they DO have barriers in LA/Anaheim and down to San Diego so you can only get in and out at certain places, but here in the Bay Area (I80) or in Sac they don't have those restrictions. Now, it's good they don't because DBF had to swerve into the carpool lane the other day to avoid being rammed by some woman who was on her cell phone (illegal without blue tooth, she had no blue tooth, phone was being held at her ear by her shoulder) and putting on make up, she just moved into his lane where he was and didn't even look. Had he not been able to move over it would have been a horrible collision. In the Bay Area you have to have 3 people per vehicle, in Sac it's 2 people.

I'm glad you were able to avoid the accident Op, that type of stuff is scary!!

 

[Carly_Roach]

HOV lanes sound like they're more trouble than they're worth. As far as I know we don't have them in Michigan and I'm kind of glad about that.

 

[PixieDust32]

We are down one car and DS#4 is taking a math course at a semi local university about 25 miles away. His class starts at 9 am and to make it through rush hour without the HOV lane, he would have to leave 90 minutes early and sit in traffic. Last week wasn't a problem but this week, everyone is back to work so I figured it would be a nice ride for Jude. The speed limit is 65 mph but the roads were still a bit damp and frozen. The traffic had slowed to a crawl in the regular lanes so I slowed down to 55 with one eye to the right. I just had a feeling that with traffic stalled on the way into Hartford, some idiot, who doesn't bother to listen to the traffic report, would attempt to jump the 'ditch' and enter the HOV lane. Little did I think that he wouldn't look and cut in front of me. I slammed on my brakes, swerved to the left as far as I could go without hitting the Jersey barriers and he missed me by INCHES! He literally saw me at the last second and served back towards his lane. The HOV doesn't take that much planning. Turn off the CD player, listen to the radio,make sure you actually have a passenger in your vehicle and then enter it at the proper time and place. This wasn't a little vehicle BTW. It was a jacked up Ford F250! I got an instant headache that lasted for the rest of the ride.

Oh boy, here in Atlanta people would kill you if you are in the HOV lane going at the speed limit 55mph, how dare you, they want to drive 75mph and they will use the HOV lane to pass you,not to mention the obscene gestures.Hate it.

 

[DawnCt1]

It encourages people to share their commute. So instead of, say, 3 cars carrying 1 person each, there will be 1 car carrying those 3 people.

Of course, at least in WA, there is no age/license limit, so I can, officially, drive in the HOV lane with my son. I usually don't, I personally like to use it when I qualify by licensed drivers, but I *can*.

Gets confusing up here, though...there's one part through and north of Seattle that's a big one way express area...the way it goes changes during the day. Has barriers that move and such. Then on a west/east highway the HOV lane is 3+ in the car (while most are 2+). And on a north/south highway parallel to the main one, the 2+ HOV lane opens to everyone at certain hours, so you have to pay attention to the signs!

Here, as far as I know, you can get into the lane whenever you want; you don't have to "enter" it at a certain spot. But you aren't supposed to be stupid about it, as Dawn's highway sharer (was going to call the person a fellow driver, but didn't seem his was paying much attention to the driving at the moment!) was. And you are supposed to have the correct amount of people in the car.

Not it Ct. You can enter at the beginning of the HOV lane and from entrance ramps to access the Highway JUST for HOV lanes. Once you are on the highway, you cannot enter.

 

[DawnCt1]

Oh boy, here in Atlanta people would kill you if you are in the HOV lane going at the speed limit 55mph, how dare you, they want to drive 75mph and they will use the HOV lane to pass you,not to mention the obscene gestures.Hate it.

I would normally go at 65 but there were reports of black ice, accidents on the highway, which is what slowed traffic, and I am so glad I didn't. When the traffic slowed to a crawl, I was expecting someont to "jump the ditch". There were tire marks through the snow every now and then. I didn't expect it in front/almost beside me.

 

[PixieDust32]

I would normally go at 65 but there were reports of black ice, accidents on the highway, which is what slowed traffic, and I am so glad I didn't. When the traffic slowed to a crawl, I was expecting someont to "jump the ditch". There were tire marks through the snow every now and then. I didn't expect it in front/almost beside me.

I am so afraid of that too, they coming so fast behind you.

 

[Becky2005]

HOV lanes sound like they're more trouble than they're worth. As far as I know we don't have them in Michigan and I'm kind of glad about that.

We don't have them here either that I'm aware of, at least not going into Chicago.

The HOV's are one reason I say Atlanta traffic is nothing for us on our way to Disney. We hop in the HOV lane since we aren't exiting anywhere and literally just going straight through on the interstate.

Of course, it could just be because we are used to Chicago traffic, we have never gone around Atlanta and haven't found the traffic any worse than Chicago.

 

[DarthKTrava]

Oh boy, here in Atlanta people would kill you if you are in the HOV lane going at the speed limit 55mph, how dare you, they want to drive 75mph and they will use the HOV lane to pass you,not to mention the obscene gestures.Hate it.

Heck. I don't even do the speed limit while driving in the regular lanes.... (don't qualify to use the HOV lane) unless traffic doesn't allow it, which isn't usually until I get right to downtown Atlanta...

 

[DawnCt1]

I am so afraid of that too, they coming so fast behind you.

They are. I had someone tailgating me the entire way. I was going 62 because the person in front of me was going that speed. Did he think that I could go faster? I HATE being tailgated. I don't tailgate. I slowed to 50 and he finally got the message and backed off, then I sped up.

 

[DarthKTrava]

They are. I had someone tailgating me the entire way. I was going 62 because the person in front of me was going that speed. Did he think that I could go faster? I HATE being tailgated. I don't tailgate. I slowed to 50 and he finally got the message and backed off, then I sped up.

That's what I do when someone tailgate. They usually get the hint and go around me.