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Fraudulent HOV Green sticker prius spotted

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by knckdwntxt, May 17, 2014.

  1. knckdwntxt

    knckdwntxt Junior Member

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    I recently spotted a non-plug in prius posing as a PIP with green stickers in Orange County, CA.

    While I discourage tattling in general I have strong feelings about this one. This is unfair to those of us who have paid a premium for HOV lane privileges and are abiding by California law.

    Thoughts, opinions anyone

    see pic
     

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    #1 knckdwntxt, May 17, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 4, 2014
    Hi Burrito! likes this.
  2. rxlawdude

    rxlawdude Active Member

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    Pretty blatant.
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Probably a member here lol

    SM-N900P ?
     
  4. drysider

    drysider Active Member

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    Maybe they have an after market PHEV kit.
     
  5. rxlawdude

    rxlawdude Active Member

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    That wouldn't qualify for the HOV sticker.
     
  6. Redpoint5

    Redpoint5 Senior Member

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    I can't think of many things more petty to "tattle" on than misuse of a HOV lane.

    That said, I believe in community enforcement because law enforcement is inadequate to control crime and abuse.

    I see this as a lesser offense than, say, towing a heavy load improperly, or something else that puts safety at risk.

    HOV lane "exceptions" are a legal abuse anyhow. I could see myself contemplating using the lane just as the person you spotted, knowing that I could be caught and could not hold a grudge against the person that turned me in. Anyone doing this knows the consequences and should be ready to accept the punishment.
     
  7. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Send an email to the CA DMV, you have their license plate number in your pic. :D

    SCH-I535
     
    acceleraptor and blkpriusgirl like this.
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    we really don't need any more cops issuing citations
     
  9. jhinsc

    jhinsc Senior Member

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    Fraudulent use of an HOV sticker on a non-qualified vehicle is the same as someone using a dummy in the passenger seat and using the HOV lanes. Report the offender.
     
  10. rxlawdude

    rxlawdude Active Member

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    That's no way to talk about my ex. Or perhaps it is.
     
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  11. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    It's not so petty. Per What's an HOV lane?, its a minimum $481 fine.

    The offender needs to be reported.
     
  12. Alyn99

    Alyn99 Junior Member

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  13. Redpoint5

    Redpoint5 Senior Member

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    I qualified my statement as to what makes it petty. The abuse is petty in that it poses no physical threat to anyone, and does not significantly impact your personal enjoyment of all the resources you currently have access to.

    Read further and you will see that I did suggest that reporting the guy is what a responsible citizen should do.

    It's difficult to convey tone and meaning in writing. When I used "tattle" in my post, it was in reference to the OP, and not the language I would have used. This is why I put the word in quotes.

    I agreed that the misbehavior should be enforced by the community (public), but disagreed with the OP in categorizing the offense as egregiously as implied. Saying, "I discourage tattling in general" is an attempt to normalize the attitude of the narrator to make the rest of the statement acceptable to a larger audience. The implication is that, "hey, I'm a normal easygoing person, but here is a heinous infraction, what do you other normal people think about it?"

    Instead, I ignored the attempt to normalize the opinion and put the actual offense in context with others. Motorists speed and drive aggressively all the time, but do we "tattle" on them? The potential consequences of that behavior has a much greater probability of negatively impacting our lives than that of a HOV cheater.

    The guy took his chances copying the HOV stickers, just as a single occupant driver takes chances jumping into the lane a couple of times. Both are a fraud to the HOV system, and both behaviors have the same minimal impact to the performance and safety of traffic. I suggest that true jaywalking (illegal or reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway. Examples include a pedestrian crossing between intersections without yielding to drivers) is a more serious offense than illegally traveling in a HOV lane. Jaywalking puts safety at jeopardy and immediately impacts the flow of traffic.

    To answer your question, yes, it would be petty to report an illegal immigrant, as there are already millions of illegal immigrants here. However, just because the infraction is petty doesn't mean I condone it. If a rule exists, it must be enforced, otherwise the rule is meaningless.

    I can sympathize that an injustice has been done to you personally by the cheaters out there. I'm not arguing that this should not upset you; rather, my point is that HOV cheating is petty, and just because we personally abide by HOV rules doesn't mean the sin is more severe than, say, illegally downloading music and movies, fudging on our taxes, or sneaking a candy bar into a movie theater.

    The thought process that the HOV cheater went through to rationalize his behavior is not significantly different than the process we go through to justify our own selfish behavior.

    "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
     
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  14. plchung

    plchung Junior Member

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    I also saw a fauludent HOV green sticker pearl-white prius on hwy 605 earlier this week. That prius had no license plate yet so I assume it was a different car. I had chance to talk to the female driver, thanks to the traffic jam.

    Me: " just for you to know, you can get tickets with those stickers on."
    Driver:" I don't know, DMV gave those to me."
    Me: " you need to be careful, the cop can pull you over"
    Driver:" DMV gave those to me."

    It sounded like DMV made a mistake so I drove away. Later on, this prius drove up and rolled down the window:

    Driver:" why I can't have those stickers?"
    Me:" Because you can't charge your car."
    Driver:" you mean wrong car?
    Me:" Yeah, cop may pull you over."
    Driver:" I need to call DMV to find out."
    Me:" Yeah, you need to be careful. You can get ticket"

    I guess people in DMV did make a mistake, but I wonder who applied those stickers for the driver.
    At least I informed the driver the possible consequences.
     
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  15. Michael33

    Michael33 Member

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    Here I was wondering how they'd fake the extra charge door and emblems, and it just has counterfeit stickers. They deserve to be turned in if only for lack of effort. They probably bought the stickers from someone who makes them as a sideline.
     
  16. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    Another possibility is the driver also owns (or a relative/friend owns) a PiP and the stickers were issued to that car. The picture shows only two stickers, so we don't know if all four are in place. I would love to hear the excuse given to the CHP officer or the court on this one!
     
  17. Camfab

    Camfab Member

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    Call the HOV program directly. You can't post it up and then do nothing. Where do you draw the line. When I didn't have the pip I'd be stuck in traffic on the 170 S in the mornings. Roughly 20% of the drivers are illegally in the HOV lane. I never saw a single one get busted!
     
  18. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    I see single drivers get pulled over once in a while, but the odds are in their favor. The same with the idiots cutting in and out, using the HOV lane as a passing lane, and crossing the double yellow lines in doing so.:mad:
     
    ITgem679 likes this.
  19. Camfab

    Camfab Member

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    I've got to agree, it's bad enough being in the lane when you don't belong there, it's a whole other story when someone cuts in and your going 50 mph and they were at zero. Super crazy dangerous. I'm a fellow Simi-ite!
     
  20. knckdwntxt

    knckdwntxt Junior Member

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    Thanks for all the responses. I can see there is an overwhelming opinion that the person should be reported. Looking at the DMV website, it is a bit unclear how they should be contacted about this.

    Incidentally I saw another fraudulent PIP faker on the 91 freeway heading east in the carpool lane in Orange County today. 2 in the same weekend!

    Dark grey Gen 3 prius. Lic plate 6VRB549.

    tried to take a picture but didn't come out well. You can see that the sticker is there and that there is no aluminum trim on the trunk. see below.

    Perhaps we should compile a list here and then notify the DMV in one swoop.
    It makes me wonder if the DMV is issuing these erroneously to any prius owner that applies withotu verifying that it is a true PHEV.
     

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