1 in 5 drivers violate HOV laws, reports UHP


Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation said 20 percent of the vehicles in the express lane, or HOV lane, of the freeway are there illegally. UDOT has asked the Utah Highway Patrol to help it address the problem, and to crack down on drivers crossing over the double white line.

In her time on patrol, trooper Amy Maddox has heard all kinds of excuses for people squatting in the HOV lane.

"They'll say, 'I didn't know,' or, 'I thought you could cross those lines,' or 'I thought I could use those lanes,'" she said.

In truth, those people are breaking the law when they abuse the HOV lane, a dangerous practice, according to UDOT.

John Gleason, a spokesman for UDOT, said it's an issue the agency has always had, due to the speed difference between the HOV lane and the lanes next to it.

"If you do cut in front of somebody on those double white lines, it can have terrible, terrible consequences," Gleason said.

UDOT estimates that 1 in 5 vehicles in the HOV or express lanes don't belong there, either because there aren't enough people in the vehicle to qualify for it, the driver doesn't have an Express Pass or the vehicle is pulling a trailer.

The latter is a common transgression, Maddox said.

"That would be against the law. No trailers can be in the left two lanes," she said.

In an effort to help the public more fully understand the laws, UDOT has given UHP money for an enforcement blitz focused solely on HOV lane violations.

"We're just here to enforce the law that's on the books," said Sgt. Todd Royce of UHP. "And we just hope that people will voluntarily use this in the way that it was designed to be used and do it safely."

Maddox said rules for using the HOV lanes are clearly posted all along I-15, so there really shouldn't be any excuses.

"The signs are there," she said. "I think that people need to watch those so that they're safe when they use the HOV lane."

The enforcement blitz is set to take place Oct. 13-16, so troopers are giving people plenty of notice.

Guidelines for HOV lanes on I-15
  • You may not occupy the lane if there is no one else in your vehicle, unless you have an Express Pass.
  • Do not use the HOV lane if you are towing a trailer.
  • You cannot cross the double white line once you have entered the HOV lane. Only exit once the lines become dotted.

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Geoff Liesik

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast