Does a corpse count if you want to use the carpool lane?
Q Mark A. Barron said he works for a mortuary and transports bodies, picking up bodies after death and driving them to and from the coroner’s office. Barron asked if it’s legal to drive in a freeway carpool lane if you’re in a vehicle transporting a body. “It is human, not a mannequin or an inflatable doll but a human being.” A Our reader’s query came in after we published a recent column discussing how some solo drivers try to use the carpool lane illegally by placing a mannequin or other “fake” human in their vehicle as a so-called passenger. While the California Vehicle Code isn’t perfectly clear on whether a dead human counts as a passenger for purposes of using the High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV, or carpool) lane, law enforcement does not consider a corpse a passenger in a carpool lane.
HOV lanes are a trafficmanagement strategy to encourage ridesharing, reducing traffic jams by maximizing the number of people in one vehicle so fewer vehicles are on the road. Having a corpse in the vehicle does not accomplish this. “Obviously, a dead person can’t drive,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Olivas of the Inland Division. Olivas said if he caught a mortician doing this, he’d give the driver a carpool violation ticket, and, “When court time comes around, let the judge decide.” The minimum fine for an HOV violation is $490.
For more clarity, the Caltrans website, at this link, https://dot.ca.gov/programs/ traffic-operations/hov explains, “Who Can Use HOV Lanes?” Here is what it says:
“Motorcycles, mass transit, and vehicles with two or more (2+) occupants are allowed to access the HOV lanes during their operational hours. An ‘occupant’ is defined as any person who occupies a safety restraint device, i.e., seat belt.” Q Jim Reis of Corona asked how he would go about having potholes repaired on his street. He lives near the corner of Regent and Fairmont drives. A Our reader should contact the city of Corona Public Works Department, at Corona City Hall. He can either go there in person, hours are Monday
— Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Friday, or call 951-736-2266. The email is PublWks@CoronaCA.gov. That’s the best place to start.
Banning DMV closed
Finally, the Department of Motor Vehicles has announced that it closed its Banning field office, 1034 W. Ramsey St., for good on Feb. 17. The DMV said it decided to close the Banning office after an inspection turned up major structural damage to the foundation. The DMV is seeking a temporary office in Banning for now. In the meantime, Banning area residents can go to DMV offices in Hemet, Redlands or Palm Springs, or try accessing services online, or from a AAA office. Many DMV services are available directly from the DMV website, dmv.ca.gov.