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HOV Sticker enforcement on I 680

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augkuo

Active Member
Supporting Member
Apr 24, 2011
1,041
3,070
Berkeley
I got pulled over today by the CHP for not having my HOV stickers properly mounted -
hov_stickers.JPG


I guess I'll have to put an ugly sticker on the front left bumper ;(
 
Were you cited? Did you have a sticker anywhere on your car?
From the picture in the OP, there are white HOV stickers on each side of the lower rear bumper.

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The white stickers are only supposed to be on the REAR of the vehicle.

Front and back is for GREEN stickers. (and the old Yellow ones too)
Yeah, if anything you'll have to put a white sticker on the rear right lower quarter panel/bumper wraparound. Agree with AEdennis: don't put it on the front bumper!!
 
From the picture in the OP, there are white HOV stickers on each side of the lower rear bumper.

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Yeah, if anything you'll have to put a white sticker on the rear right lower quarter panel/bumper wraparound. Agree with AEdennis: don't put it on the front bumper!!

Oh yeah, so he does have stickers. The officer was just complaining about their placement?
 
Yes I had the stickers on the rear diffuser so the officer gave me a warning and said that another cop might have given me a ticket.
Basically they need to be visible from the side :(
That cop is full of it. The relevant law cited by the DMV website is here: V C Section 5205.5 Low Emission Vehicle Identification for High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Use Tolls
and here: V C Section 5205.5 Low Emission Vehicle Identification for High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Use Tolls


The law states that "The Department of the California Highway Patrol and the department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall design and specify the placement of the decal, label, or other identifier on the vehicle". Nowhere does the law state that you must conform to the exact placement of the stickers that the CHP and DOT specify, only that you must display a sticker with a serial number that is registered to the correct vehicle.

Maybe a lawyer can help me out here, but the way I read it, IF a cop were to give you a ticket, the code cited on the ticket would not apply to sticker placement (since no such code exists - only code saying that 2 departments get to determine sticker placement), therefore you should be able to get out of it easily.
 
That cop is full of it. The relevant law cited by the DMV website is here: V C Section 5205.5 Low Emission Vehicle Identification for High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Use Tolls
and here: V C Section 5205.5 Low Emission Vehicle Identification for High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Use Tolls


The law states that "The Department of the California Highway Patrol and the department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall design and specify the placement of the decal, label, or other identifier on the vehicle". Nowhere does the law state that you must conform to the exact placement of the stickers that the CHP and DOT specify, only that you must display a sticker with a serial number that is registered to the correct vehicle.

Maybe a lawyer can help me out here, but the way I read it, IF a cop were to give you a ticket, the code cited on the ticket would not apply to sticker placement (since no such code exists - only code saying that 2 departments get to determine sticker placement), therefore you should be able to get out of it easily.

The stickers come with a sheet of paper that describes where the DMV wants you to put them. I think that means that the DMV DID specify where they go, and you wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
 
The stickers come with a sheet of paper that describes where the DMV wants you to put them. I think that means that the DMV DID specify where they go, and you wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
The DMV desired placement is not described in the law, nor does the law specify that you have to follow the DMV desired placement.

Of course the DMV did specify where they go, because they were directed to do so in the law. That's my point: the law specifies that the DMV must determine where they go, however the law does not specify that you must follow such determination exactly. The law only specifies that you must have a sticker on your car.
 
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i just got a ticket on 10/2 for not having the decals on. normally I don't travel in the direction of traffic but I happened to be taking the reversible I-15 south lane to take my iMac for service. the 15 was backed up (all Red on nav screen) so I decided to hop in carpool.

the CHP on motorcycle must have been hiding at that entrance because within seconds he was next to me looking through my windows to see if anyone was with me (I have 2 child seats in the back). anyway I give him my decals and show him that I got them in august and just didn't have a chance to put them on and he doesn't agree and says if you want to use the HOV lanes you must have them on. he says it's not a fix-it ticket but some fixed fine and I just pay it. he wrote me up for not displaying decals (non-moving violation, thank goodness - no impact on Dmv/insurance). I guess if he was being a real jerk he could have cited me for carpool violation AND my tinted windows AND lack of front plate, so I was thankful to get the lesser citation and be on my way.

it was a bad week. I ran over my iphone the day before too :crying:
 
i just got a ticket on 10/2 for not having the decals on. normally I don't travel in the direction of traffic but I happened to be taking the reversible I-15 south lane to take my iMac for service. the 15 was backed up (all Red on nav screen) so I decided to hop in carpool.

the CHP on motorcycle must have been hiding at that entrance because within seconds he was next to me looking through my windows to see if anyone was with me (I have 2 child seats in the back). anyway I give him my decals and show him that I got them in august and just didn't have a chance to put them on and he doesn't agree and says if you want to use the HOV lanes you must have them on. he says it's not a fix-it ticket but some fixed fine and I just pay it. he wrote me up for not displaying decals (non-moving violation, thank goodness - no impact on Dmv/insurance). I guess if he was being a real jerk he could have cited me for carpool violation AND my tinted windows AND lack of front plate, so I was thankful to get the lesser citation and be on my way.

it was a bad week. I ran over my iphone the day before too :crying:
So you didn't have ANY of the decals on? Yeah, that would be a clear violation.

Sorry about the tough week. How the heck did you manage to run over your iPhone? Drop it on the driveway and not realize it?
 
So you didn't have ANY of the decals on? Yeah, that would be a clear violation.

Sorry about the tough week. How the heck did you manage to run over your iPhone? Drop it on the driveway and not realize it?

yeah I was pushing it - I remembered some members saying, oh the CHP won't stop you because you are in a Tesla and they know it's ZEV but I guess that doesn't apply in San Diego. well I tried and I failed, so the stickers are going on this week. I'm not sure why it's not a fix-it ticket like not having your DMV sticker/tag updated even though you've already paid, but oh well.

iphone - I left it on top of the car to run back in house to grab something I forgot. I was already in a rush so when I got back into car I started driving. it didn't fall off for almost a mile!! I did a Find My IPhone search and it was still on an running. my husband went with me and walked the busy road and found it. of course it was run over a few times and shattered. the biometric home button actually worked though and you could still use it (except you'd cut yourself swiping on the glass). took it to a repair shop and got a new screen and it's fine again. my computer on the other hand ... it's in ICU at data recovery after Mountain Lion crashed :crying:
 
yeah I was pushing it - I remembered some members saying, oh the CHP won't stop you because you are in a Tesla and they know it's ZEV but I guess that doesn't apply in San Diego. well I tried and I failed, so the stickers are going on this week. I'm not sure why it's not a fix-it ticket like not having your DMV sticker/tag updated even though you've already paid, but oh well.

iphone - I left it on top of the car to run back in house to grab something I forgot. I was already in a rush so when I got back into car I started driving. it didn't fall off for almost a mile!! I did a Find My IPhone search and it was still on an running. my husband went with me and walked the busy road and found it. of course it was run over a few times and shattered. the biometric home button actually worked though and you could still use it (except you'd cut yourself swiping on the glass). took it to a repair shop and got a new screen and it's fine again. my computer on the other hand ... it's in ICU at data recovery after Mountain Lion crashed :crying:
Yikes. A Time Capsule backup disc might be in order.
 
One of the problems with getting a Model S as a loaner for our Model S is that I have a couple of times now forgotten that the loaner doesn't have the stickers on it. I got reminded the other day when someone was shouting abuse at me as I zoomed along the on-ramp HOV lane.
 
Wow, it appears also that if you bought a car with the HOV sticker, you need to transfer not only the car but ALSO the sticker to your name! No way man, total bureaucracy. California, how about tying the sticker to the car!
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Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) Decals - High Occupancy Vehicle HOV Lane Usage
5. Q: I acquired a vehicle with CAV decals and transferred it into my name. Do I also have to transfer the CAV decal ownership into my name?

A: Yes. If you purchase a vehicle with existing decals, you must transfer the decals to your name using the Application for Clean Air Vehicle Decal (REG 1000) (PDF). There is no cost provided that all required CAV decals are present on the vehicle. You will be issued a new CAV decal ID card with your name once your CAV decal transfer application is processed.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/decal
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As for the white sticker placement, if its a small white sticker (not the old large one), sticker placement needs to be on the right rear side of the car. I guess I lucked out, that's where mine is. Wish I had the paint armor cutout like the sticker there to protect the paint if I ever need to pull it off.

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Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) Decals - High Occupancy Vehicle HOV Lane Usage

Place on the rear quarter panels, one on each side of the vehicle, behind the wheel wells, with the state seal pointed up on the bottom of the decal.
CAV decal location vehicle sidepanels

***Small Decals-

For white decals, place on the right side of the rear bumper only, with the state seal pointed up on the bottom of the decal.
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I guess they could also written Augie up for having too many HOV stickers displayed :tongue:
 
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i just got a ticket on 10/2 for not having the decals on. normally I don't travel in the direction of traffic but I happened to be taking the reversible I-15 south lane to take my iMac for service. the 15 was backed up (all Red on nav screen) so I decided to hop in carpool.

the CHP on motorcycle must have been hiding at that entrance because within seconds he was next to me looking through my windows to see if anyone was with me (I have 2 child seats in the back). anyway I give him my decals and show him that I got them in august and just didn't have a chance to put them on and he doesn't agree and says if you want to use the HOV lanes you must have them on. he says it's not a fix-it ticket but some fixed fine and I just pay it. he wrote me up for not displaying decals (non-moving violation, thank goodness - no impact on Dmv/insurance). I guess if he was being a real jerk he could have cited me for carpool violation AND my tinted windows AND lack of front plate, so I was thankful to get the lesser citation and be on my way.

it was a bad week. I ran over my iphone the day before too :crying:

Did you run over your iphone to get the iphone 6? :)