HOV Lanes

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Dougie Brown

Dougie Brown

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Are there any restrictions in any states on RVs using HOV lanes?  Thanks.

Dougie.
 
Yes!  Most states restrict trucks and RVs from using HOV lanes, at least the freeways we've been on around the country.  They're really designed for cars and commuters.  And motorcycles also are okay.  Most have signs indicating who can use them.  Some say two people, some say three.  It depends on the state and the freeway.

ArdraF
 
Even if we were allowed in the HOV lanes, we would still avoid them as we don't want to travel at the excessive speeds they use in those lanes.  Drivers seem to think that HOV means the speed limits don't apply :(
 
On Washington State interstates you must drive in the right hand lane except to pass when driving trucks, rv's or towing a trailer.  Usually enforced in populas areas.
 
we don't want to travel at the excessive speeds they use in those lanes.  Drivers seem to think that HOV means the speed limits don't apply
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Boy, Ned, you're really right about that!  They drive like the devil is after them!  I don't even like to use the HOV lanes when we're in a car because I don't trust someone pulling out into my lane at a slower speed.  People who don't use HOVs very much don't always understand the rules.

On Washington State interstates you must drive in the right hand lane except to pass when driving trucks, rv's or towing a trailer.
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It seems to me Oregon has the same rule.  Right for normal driving and left for passing.  And in California ANY vehicle that tows has a maximum allowable speed of 55 mph.  I think there's one interstate that allows higher speeds, but I can't recall which it is (maybe I-5 in the middle of the state?).  Luckily the long upgrades (like 10 or 15 miles) have truck lanes which we also use if we've been forced into going really slow.

ArdraF
 
NO worry in regulation free Arizona. Trucks drive in any lane, including HOV. I've seen semi's five abreast on I-10 in western Phoenix/Goodyear. Oh, the thinking is that's its OK because they can also travel at 75 MPH in much of AZ. Sometimes it just plain scary.

ken
 
I don't see how a "keep right" rule/law could apply to an HOV lane that happens to be located far to the left (fairly typical, I think).  Nobody could use one if that was the case.

In Florida the only requirement for using the HOV lane is more than one passenger in the vehicle. Hybrid and ILEV type vehicles are also authorized to use HOV lanes, regardless of number of passengers.

ILEV - Inherently Low Emissions Vehicles

Whether you want to drive an RV in those lanes is a matter of judgment. Traffic is normally very fast.
 
Ken & Sheila said:
NO worry in regulation free Arizona. Trucks drive in any lane, including HOV. I've seen semi's five abreast on I-10 in western Phoenix/Goodyear. Oh, the thinking is that's its OK because they can also travel at 75 MPH in much of AZ. Sometimes it just plain scary.

ken
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Kind of makes you wonder about the folks that come up with this stuff. They seem to go from one extreme to the other. CA shot themselves in the foot by having two different speed limits on freeways, the one for trucks and folks towing is 55, and everyone else is 65 typically. So you have cars trying to exit or enter freeways doing 65 or 70 weaving in and out of trucks doing 55. And they wonder why they have accidents involving trucks...seems pretty obvious to me.
 
Thanks folks - all good info.  The one point I hadn't considered is of course the easy one - why would I want to drive in one?  :eek:  ;D  So we'll avoid 'em, stay safe and stay legal.

Dougie.
 
Water Dog---- The only problem is--It seems like most cars enter the freeway at  about 45 mph.  When I took driver's training in 1960,  the on and off ramps were refered to as "acceleration" and "deceleration" lanes.
 
I do not know of later policies but when we lived in Washington through 2005 Bob Gummersall of FMCA NW obtained a letter from the DMV stating that RV's that met the 2 person requirement were allowed in the HOV lane.

I am not arguing the wisdom of staying in the right lanes. The "No Trucks in Left Lane" rule also was waived once you reached the Seattle Metro area.

(Out of curiosity I checked on WA and it is still permissible in WA for RVs to use HOV lanes. Here is the info.)
 
wackymac said:
Water Dog---- The only problem is--It seems like most cars enter the freeway at  about 45 mph.  When I took driver's training in 1960,  the on and off ramps were refered to as "acceleration" and "deceleration" lanes.
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I know, it used to be that you were supposed to follow at no closer than a car length for every ten mph of speed too....did the rules change somewhere and they forgot to tell us old guys?
 
A safe following distance is 3 seconds, it's easier to measure than car lengths.  But practically no one comes close to that spacing.  If you leave a 3 second gap, 2 or more vehicles will pull into it.

When I have a tailgater behind me, I'm very tempted to just slam on the brakes and let him suffer :(
 
I've heard THIRD hand from a CHIP program at FMCA-Indio that you won't get ticketed driving an RV in an HOV lane for being there illegally but probably would get stopped and ticketed for impeding traffic ::)
 
Something I like about the HOV lanes is you can avoid most of the people cutting back & forth, trucks,  plus those that are entering & exiting.

Does anyone know if you can tow a trailer in the HOV lanes in Atlanta?

I read the traffic laws for Atlanta & it's never mentioned.
 
I'd rather not have to change lanes to the right any more often than necessary. (I generally drive in the right-hand lane and don't move one lane to the left when cars are coming in on an on-ramp, except that, where there are numerous lanes in town, I may use that second one from the right to go through.)

@Ned - I'd heard 3 seconds for cars. Recently, an RV driving instructor suggested trying for 4 to 5 seconds for a large class A motorhome (diesel, air brakes, Jacobs brake). He agreed that it's hard to manage that interval in traffic, but to do it where we can. Of course, maybe he was suggesting a longer interval after noticing my aging reflexes.... :D
 
Pierat
I know what you are saying about lane changes. One problem in Atlanta is that the painted lines are goofed up, at least I think so. They use the RH lane for entrance & exit which is normal. In some spots if you stay in your lane between the lines pretty soon you'll be in the exit lane so you have to merge back over, which is a problem in traffic. This last time I tried using the 4th lane from the RH side which still leaves 1 lane for the speed demons plus the HOV lane.
 
I know what you mean about the right lane becoming an exit lane. If that's likely, I often move over a lane to the left. In big cities, perhaps six or eight lanes or more, I may move over to the second or third lane from the left. One clue is looking at what the truckers are doing. (Of course, they all may be headed to some other destination, oops.)
 
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