On the Road: How does CHP track carpool violators?

Q: Joel Handen said it seems like half to one-third of drivers in the carpool lanes are driving solo. “I never see any enforcement. Is that a new policy, just ignore it?” he asked. Handen also said he rarely sees police and California Highway Patrol officers out and about.

A: We can assure our reader that the CHP enforces carpool violations. That being said, of course there are solo drivers in carpool lanes who sometimes get away with this because CHP officers can’t be everywhere, all the time.

We’ve had other readers in the past with the same complaint — carpool lanes aren’t being policed. In fact, they are, and it’s often during a traffic enforcement operation on a freeway targeting carpool violators. For example, we wrote in March about such an event on Feb. 24 when CHP motorcycle officers from Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino and the Riverside area organized a special enforcement detail targeting offenders in and around Rancho Cucamonga on the 210 Freeway. A dozen CHP officers and one sergeant issued 177 tickets; 62 of them to solo drivers in the carpool lane. Riverside area CHP officers who patrol Riverside, Perris, Nuevo and Moreno Valley issued 2,698 carpool violations in 2019 and 2,595 carpool violations in 2020, according to CHP Officer Juan Quintero. That’s just from the Riverside area office.

We’ve explained this before but it merits repeating: The CHP Inland Division covers a huge area with some of the nation’s most congested freeways: 10, 15, 215, and the 91 and 60. The division covers Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Consider this, as well: you are not likely to see a carpool violator being pulled over. CHP officers rarely initiate traffic stops on the freeway for safety reasons. The officer directs the offending vehicle off to a shoulder, or off the freeway entirely to pull the vehicle over. Most regular citizens never see a fraction of what law enforcement officials actually do on the job.

Q: Al Solorzano asked about the expansion of Clinton Keith Road between Whitewood and Briggs Road in Murrieta, where there’s a gravel road that a sign identifies as Menifee Road. He said, “If one is traveling westbound there’s a dedicated left lane and a traffic signal, yet only gravel without paved lanes that lead from Los Alamos Road. Will this road be paved in the future?”

A: Bob Moehling, the city of Murrieta’s Public Works director, said the answer to this question is yes, that particular road will be paved at some point in the future.

Finally, each year there are recalls for various vehicle models or equipment that may be related to safety issues. To check for possible recalls on your vehicle or to sign up for alerts about recalls, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. Run a check for your vehicle by entering the vehicle’s year, make and model. Visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls#vehicle. The NHTSA also lists any recalls for child safety seats, tires and vehicle equipment.

Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write ontheroad@pe.com or call 951-368-9670.

Source: Orange County Register