Carpool lane is not a license to speed

Question: Why do some people get in the carpool or diamond lane and act like it’s a speedway? When I use that lane, I drive at the posted speeds, or a little faster if cars are behind me. Invariably, someone will tailgate and flash their lights. When I’m caught in this situation, should I cross the solid yellow lines to get out of the carpool lane or just continue until I can legally exit?

Jan B.

Los Angeles

Answer: Motorists who think driving in the carpool lane gives them a license to speed are on top of my list of pet peeves. But no matter how obnoxious or reckless a tailgater may become, don’t get out of the way by crossing the double yellow lines. It’s illegal and you could be cited, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Troy Lukkes. If you are driving at the 65-mph speed limit, you are not obligated to increase your speed or clear the way for a driver who is exceeding the designated limit in the carpool lane, Lukkes said.

Hold your ground and stay in the lane, or wait until signs indicate that you can legally exit the lane and merge into general traffic. Because you don’t know how volatile the driver behind you is, the safest course of action may be to exit at the appropriate place.

“You don’t know what kind of road rage could develop,” Lukkes said.

If a speeding motorist in the carpool lane tailgates and flashes lights in an attempt to intimidate you, he suggests reporting the incident and the vehicle’s license plate number by calling (800)TELLCHP (835-5247).

However, if the driver’s actions are so reckless as to endanger the lives of others, call 911.

A call to the 800 number could result in the CHP sending a letter to the owner of the vehicle describing what the driver was spotted doing, Lukkes said. Sometimes the letters alert parents to their children’s risky driving habits, he said. “We enforce the carpool-lane speeding violations just like we do all the others,” Lukkes said.

The one exception that allows you to leave the carpool lane by legally crossing the double yellow lines is when a police car or other emergency vehicle is behind you with red lights flashing, Lukkes said.

Likewise, if you’re a slowpoke in the carpool lane, be courteous and make a legal exit when you can. Driving slowly and backing up traffic can be dangerous because people get impatient and take chances trying to pass.

Though there is plenty of anecdotal information about drivers speeding in carpool lanes, neither the CHP nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tracks the number of speeding citations or accidents that occur in these lanes. In March, a Los Angeles woman was killed and her 19-year-old passenger injured when she lost control of her car while traveling in the carpool lane at 100-plus mph on the Antelope Valley Freeway in Newhall, according to the CHP.

Carpool lanes encourage drivers to share rides and help ease freeway traffic congestion, said Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California. But driving in the carpool lane poses risks, particularly where the lanes end and merge into general traffic, she said.

“I have a great view of the San Bernardino carpool lane as I zip down the center of the freeway on the Metrolink each day. There’s a lot of carpool lane abuse out there,” Miller said. “Aside from all the illegal merges, only about 1 out of every 5 cars is driving legally in the lanes.”

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Jeanne Wright responds in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Write to Your Wheels, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. E-mail: jeanrite@aol.com.