Hybrids: Single-Driver Lanes

I saw an article in the newspaper yesterday indicating that they are
passing a law in California allowing owners of Hybrid vehicles to use
"single-driver" lanes. Brock Yates, in his article that appeared in the
Sept. 2005 issue of "Car and Driver" indicated that other states also
allow the owners of hybrid vehicles to use single-driver lanes.

I wonder how many owners of hybrids made by Honda are going to the parts
counter in Honda dealerships and ordering "hybrid" emblems (or whatever
they are called) and placing those emblems on the back of their cars? It
would be hard for police officers to easily tell the difference between a
true hybrid and a non-hybrid Honda. The owners of Toyota vehicles can't do
this since the Prius is unique.
Jason

 

The California law requires one to apply for a special sticker to put on
your car. There will only be 75,000 available for hybrids, although I see
them on the Civic-GX natural gas, and I've seen an Insight with one, which
must have been modified to run on something other than gasoline, since the
hybrids were not eligible for the sticker previously.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg1000.htm
The California Hybrid law has been signed, but is still on hold.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/proposedhybrid.htm

 

it uses a sticker, places on the passenger side rear quarter. the
sticker is sent by the DMV, and is issued pending verification of the
VIN on record.

i guess you could buy a wrecked hybrid, and keep it registered. get the
sticker and put it on a regular civic?

 

Hello,
Thanks for the post. I now wonder if people that make fake documents for
illegal aliens will start making fake DMV stickers to sell to the owners
of Honda cars?
I hope that Honda owners refuse to buy them even if it happens.
Jason

 

What's a single driver lane? Do you mean HOV lane?

RAT

 

Hello,
I should have used the term "HOV lanes" in my post. I screwed up--sorry.
Jason

 

The stickers are available now. They were previously available for
non-hybrid cars of a class known as "Inherently Low Emissions Vehicles"
Now that they are available to Hybrids, there is a short list of the
hybrids that qualify. Different years have different standards, and for
2005, the Honda Insight doesn't qualify because it isn't clean enough.