Carpool Lane: Case of Double Trouble

Reader Daniel A. Thurber is sick of other drivers crossing the line. Or the double line, to be more precise.

The Buena Park resident and a co-worker are dedicated users of the carpool lanes on the 605 Freeway, which slice off considerable drive time on the way to their Irwindale workplace. The only problem? Thurber often arrives at work seeing red over yellow lines.

“It makes me mad and it just scares the hell out of me,” the bank portfolio manager told us last week. “I assume the double yellow lines on the carpool mean you can’t change lanes in or out, but people just shoot across them whenever they feel like it.”

Thurber assumes right, of course: It is illegal to cross the double yellow lines that border the carpool lanes. Drivers are supposed to wait for the broken white lines to enter or exit the lanes, but this is not a perfect world where everyone follows the rules.

“I don’t think people realize it’s illegal,” Thurber says. We’re a little more cynical. We think the lane-breaking drivers are more likely to be weavers (ducking in and out of the lane to pass slow-moving car-poolers), late exiters (they didn’t plan ahead and they have to cross the yellow or risk missing their offramp) or law dodgers (single-occupant drivers who see a cop and dart out of the lane to avoid detection).

The most dangerous of all may be the drivers who pull across the double yellow into the carpool lane when traffic gets backed up in the other lanes.

As Thurber puts it, “Traffic slows and starts to back up in the fast lane and you’re going 50 or 55 in the carpool lane and--boom!--they come out of a pack of cars at 5 mph. I see it every day. I just wanted to make sure it really was illegal.”

Illegal and, if you get caught, pretty expensive. As far as fines, entering or exiting the carpool lane across the double yellow line is the same as the punishment for driving solo in the special lane, according to Officer Carey Reynolds of the California Highway Patrol. That means $271--and that’s a minimum.

“That’s great, I figured it was just a small ticket. That makes me feel better.”

That’s why we’re here, Daniel.

WAKE-UP CALL: A recent national poll turned up an unusual tidbit: Eight in 10 drivers are worried that others on the road are asleep at the wheel.

More than half the adults surveyed by the Harris Poll also said they know someone who has had a hard time staying awake while driving, and 39% rated the issue of drowsy drivers as “a serious problem.”

Some grim statistics back up those driver anxieties. As many as 100,000 crashes each year--and an estimated 1,500 deaths--are attributable to drowsy drivers, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. So why is everyone so sleepy?

Cross-country truckers, overworked delivery workers and alcohol-impaired drivers are among those who doze, but it was a different segment of our roadway population that caught the attention of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the alliance of insurance and safety organizations that commissioned the Harris Poll earlier this year.

“Every day, hundreds of thousands of over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs are bought and sold that cause serious drowsiness,” said Judith Lee Stone, president of the advocacy group. “Today, thousands of American motorists may unknowingly be putting themselves and others at risk.”

The best way to be safe is, as usual, planning ahead. Read the labels of the medicine you take and remember that combining certain medications can multiply their impact on your behavior. If you know you’re going to be taking potent stuff, get someone to give you a ride. That way you can fall asleep in the more comfortable seat.

GROWING PAINS: The I-5 improvement project has created ongoing headaches for commuters, but at least some relief may be in sight. A number of ramps that had been shut down to make way for the work are scheduled to reopen in upcoming months.

The southbound I-5 connector to both the eastbound and westbound Garden Grove Freeway should be reopened by the end of the month, along with the Bristol Street/La Veta Avenue offramp from the I-5.

The Chapman Avenue onramp to the south I-5 is scheduled to be open by the end of July. A little more than a month later, the Euclid Street onramp to the northbound lanes of the I-5 should be back in use.

If you need some information on these or other closures--or you want some advice on the best detours to sidestep the shutdowns--call the Caltrans information line at (714) 724-2077.

TIP OF THE WEEK: The CHP offers some security measures to protect yourself from carjackers:

* When stopped in traffic, leave enough space between your car and the one in front of you to maneuver away from trouble. Use center lanes on city streets. If you feel threatened, lean on your horn to draw attention.

* Carjackers choose the easiest target, so make yourself a hard target. Keep your doors locked and windows up. Avoid empty streets, especially after dark. Be aware of your surroundings.

* If confronted, don’t resist. Your car can be replaced; you can’t.

The Roads Scholar wants to hear your insights, stories and questions about traffic, the commuting experience and Orange County transportation issues.

Call Geoff Boucher at (714) 966-5724, send e-mail to him at geoff.boucher@latimes.com or mail letters to Geoff Boucher, c/o The Roads Scholar, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Please include your full name, hometown and phone number.

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The Callbox

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION: What is the nicest view from an Orange County freeway?

“The San Joaquin Hills toll road, northbound, just cresting the last of the hills and descending into Newport Beach. . . . Panoramic views of the ocean, and on a clear day the entire view is framed by snowcapped mountains.”

--Christopher Davidson, Laguna Niguel

“After a winter storm, going north on the 57 Freeway past the Brea Mall when the mountains are all green. The white clouds fill the sky, the local mountains are filled with snow and the cows are grazing the hills.”

--Mario Luna, Anaheim

“Southbound I-5 in San Clemente between [Avenida] Palizada and El Camino Real offramp. Great view of downtown San Clemente and the Pacific.”

--Steve Rayment, Laguna Niguel

“Going north on either the 55 or 57 when everything is clear and the mountains are clad in snow--that’s gorgeous.”

--Irena Weygold, Irvine

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: What is the worst view from an Orange County freeway?

Phone in your comments to The Callbox at (714) 966-5724 or send e-mail to geoff.boucher@latimes.com