Virginia State Police crack down on N.Va. HOV violators

ARLINGTON — Virginia State Police are stepping up enforcement of HOV rules, and they are catching a lot of violators.

One morning last month, police issued 89 tickets in three hours along interstates 95 and 395. That included two second-time violators and one drunken driver.

From July 26 and Sept. 12, officers focusing on HOV enforcement in northern Virginia issued 2,200 summonses. Last year, the state police issued 18,269 summonses for HOV violations in northern Virginia.

Police say the large-scale enforcement efforts will continue. Violators face a $125 fine for the first offense. The fine doubles with each subsequent offense up to $1,000 for the fourth violation.