How Washington State Patrol is cracking down on HOV violators
May 7, 2019, 5:19 PM | Updated: Aug 29, 2019, 11:40 am
Now that state lawmakers have officially passed a bill cracking down on HOV violators, how exactly will Washington State Troopers carry out that mandate? KIRO Radio Traffic Reporter Tracy Taylor rode along with Trooper Rick Johnson to find out.
RELATED: State HOV cheaters now face harsher fines
“It’s hard to enforce our way into more cooperation with HOV — we’re not there to stack tickets or charge people a bunch of money, but obviously the Legislature feels like it’s a necessity,” Trooper Johnson told Taylor.
The final version of the bill cracking down on HOV cheaters was amended with lighter fines than it contained in its original form, which would have jacked the penalty up to $686 on a third offense.
In the end, lawmakers decided to up the fine for first offenders to $186, and hitting drivers on second and subsequent offenses with a $336 fine.
Any violators in HOV lanes using dummies, dolls, or any other form of fake people will also be hit with an additional $200 fine.
“A lot of people deem it as the cost of doing business — I think we’ll begin to eliminate some of these repetitive cheaters, but of course we’re still going to get HOV violators,” said Johnson.
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