Carpool lane, does baby count?

MsGirl1

This is probably a dumb question, but do the babies or a baby count for your extra passenger for the carpool lane? Lol...I have only lived here a couple years and we never had those lanes in Ohio, so I wasn't sure!

Seattle_JiLLn

yes babies count.

milliedilly

Yes they count, pregnancy doesn't though!

scarletii

they do thank goodness!  Although, when I was single with no children, I thought it was ridiculous cause it's not like they can drive their own car!  LOL

IkesHawaiian06

I sure hope they count cuz I always take them with Emma!

Seattle_JiLLn

scarletii:

they do thank goodness!  Although, when I was single with no children, I thought it was ridiculous cause it's not like they can drive their own car!  LOL

 

me too! 

 

ALthough then I thought about what "should" count.  Really taking another driver off the road is what "should" count.  But then woudl it "count" if DH and I were going out to dinner together?  It's not like we would normally take 2 cars.  So that shouldn't "count" - and then I used to think of all sorts of ridiculous things they coudl require to make you be in there...  I know I'm a dork.  But what else do you do on a commute but think up ridiculous things? 

MandR

Some time ago now, there was a WA State Trooper that was on the morning show with Jackie & Bender (Kiss 106.1).  Anyways, he said technically it was supposed to be a person of legal driving age; however, they didn't enforce it at all.

Marcie

llking_2984

You know what's funny. I actually got a warning ticket sent to me in the mail because someone called the HOV number on me and said I didn't have anyone in the car with me and I was driving in the carpool lane. Funny thing is I have never done that. When I looked at the day it was given to me, it was a day I was coming back from taking DH to work and the kids were in the car with me....sleeping! So no one could see them.

energyzer

If you actualy read the HOV legal language, it's really specific about who technically qualifies and a baby wouldn't count. DH and I used to argue about this all the time so I finally read them and he was right.   But, like someone else mentioned, they don't enforce it. That may have been the intention when they first put them in place but I have to imagine the philosophy has changed some since then.

KNemo

scarletii:

they do thank goodness!  Although, when I was single with no children, I thought it was ridiculous cause it's not like they can drive their own car!  LOL

I still think it is ridiculous, but I cannot wait to use it with the baby!

nykola

I wish pregnancy counted too!  Could be tough to police though ;-)

Seattle_JiLLn

energyzer:

If you actualy read the HOV legal language, it's really specific about who technically qualifies and a baby wouldn't count. DH and I used to argue about this all the time so I finally read them and he was right.   But, like someone else mentioned, they don't enforce it. That may have been the intention when they first put them in place but I have to imagine the philosophy has changed some since then.

 

Interesting.... It just seems hard to enforce having another legal driver in the car... how do they know if someone in the car is 14 or 16?   I would think that they would need to put something on the signs to clarify - like instead of just saying 2+ on the signs it would need to say "2 driving age passengers" or something.... EVERYONE I know includes kids.