CHP Sacramento carpool crackdown kicks off with violations during rain-soaked commute

If you’re driving solo to work, stay out of the carpool lane. Starting this week, California Highway Patrol is on the lookout for commute-time scofflaws on Highway 99 between Elk Grove Boulevard in Elk Grove and Highway 50.

CHP officers began maximum enforcement patrols of the carpool lanes Monday. Officers reported 19 stops for HOV lane violations along the corridor during Monday’s rain-soaked commutes, said Officer Michael Leavitt, a spokesman for the CHP’s South Sacramento office.

Morning and after-work commutes on Highway 99 were lighter than usual due to the wet weather that pushed through the Sacramento region; and “rain conditions did put a slight damper on the (enforcement) detail by diverting units for calls of service,” Leavitt said.

The four-week crackdown through Oct. 15 during the HOV weekday hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.; and again from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., is a joint campaign with Caltrans and the CHP to reduce the numbers of carpool lane violators on the busy 12-mile stretch. Caltrans will use the results of the campaign to study what effect enforcement has on carpool lane violations.

The Highway Patrol’s goal is to keep carpool violation rates below 10% of motorists on the road. When that percentage rises in a corridor like Highway 99, Caltrans officials said they will call on the CHP to boost enforcement in the area.

The HOV lane violations kept officers busy last year. According to CHP, their officers handed out more than 48,000 tickets to drivers statewide in 2021.

The fine for a carpool violation isn’t cheap. An HOV lane violation is a minimum $490 fine, according to Caltrans, and fines may be higher for repeat offenders.

The HOV or “high occupancy vehicle” lanes are open to vehicles with more than two occupants, buses and motorcycles, as well as electric, plug-in hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. The objective of HOV lanes is to lessen traffic congestion, encourage carpooling and improve air quality by reducing the numbers of vehicles on the road.

Rules for HOV lanes vary throughout California and are posted along the highway.

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 4:43 PM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

916-321-1040

Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.