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Can You Drive Alone in the HOV Lane If You’re Pregnant?

11 points by mhb 4y ago

dusted 4y ago
Well, if the argument is that you can't get an abortion because it's a person in there, then there are two passengers in the car. Though, giving up the right to abortion in exchange for driving the HOV Lane seems like a bad deal..
aaron695 4y ago
iinnPP 4y ago
If you're in Canada, the answer is in the article below (it's quite graphic) https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/arianna-goberdhan-fetus-homicide-1.5122096 https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/arianna-goberdhan-fetus-homi...
nonameiguess 4y ago
I guess it's worth her asking and finding out given the literal wording of the policy is "A vehicle occupied by two or more people or a motorcyclist may use HOV lanes." (https://www.txdot.gov/driver/managed-lanes/high-occupancy-vehicle-lanes.html https://www.txdot.gov/driver/managed-lanes/high-occupancy-ve...) That said, the clear intent of HOV lanes is to reduce congestion and improve air quality by inducing multiple potential drivers to become one driver, or car drivers to use motorcycles instead. To meet that intent, any passenger who can't drive shouldn't count, but the current wording seems to be a compromise regarding the intractability of figuring out by just looking whether a passenger is a person who can drive or not.
- cardiffspaceman 4y ago
  I'm sure a lot of parents pull in to the carpool lane on the basis of the children they have with them. To better meet the goal of reducing car trips, the law should only count licensed drivers traveling in the same car. And that is not a perfect criterion either.
- Georgelemental 4y ago
  A parent who already has many children who can't drive in their car doesn't have the room for other drivers, so they would be unable to use the HOV lanes were it not for the child "loophole". IMO incentivising parenthood is something the government should incentivize, so allowing them extra HOV privileges is OK
cato_the_elder 4y ago
I don't know, do you need to wear two seatbelts because you are pregnant?
karmakaze 4y ago
Definitions and judgements aside, I would say "No" from the perspective of enforceability--it's easier to see a Taxi, Bus, or vehicle with two or more visible heads vs a pregnant woman driving.
Georgelemental 4y ago
HOV lanes are meant to encourage efficient utilization of car seats, to keep ratio of (car seats occupied)/(total car seats on road) down. A pregnant woman and her child are two individuals with the right to life, but they can only occupy one car seat, and should be treated as such for HOV occupancy—unless we decide that giving pregnant mothers extra privileges so as to incentivize parenthood and disincentivize abortion is a noble goal.

11 points by mhb 4y ago

Well, if the argument is that you can't get an abortion because it's a person in there, then there are two passengers in the car. Though, giving up the right to abortion in exchange for driving the HOV Lane seems like a bad deal..

aaron695 4y ago

iinnPP 4y ago

If you're in Canada, the answer is in the article below (it's quite graphic) https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/arianna-goberdhan-fetus-homicide-1.5122096 https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/arianna-goberdhan-fetus-homi...

nonameiguess 4y ago

I guess it's worth her asking and finding out given the literal wording of the policy is "A vehicle occupied by two or more people or a motorcyclist may use HOV lanes." (https://www.txdot.gov/driver/managed-lanes/high-occupancy-vehicle-lanes.html https://www.txdot.gov/driver/managed-lanes/high-occupancy-ve...) That said, the clear intent of HOV lanes is to reduce congestion and improve air quality by inducing multiple potential drivers to become one driver, or car drivers to use motorcycles instead. To meet that intent, any passenger who can't drive shouldn't count, but the current wording seems to be a compromise regarding the intractability of figuring out by just looking whether a passenger is a person who can drive or not.

cardiffspaceman 4y ago
I'm sure a lot of parents pull in to the carpool lane on the basis of the children they have with them. To better meet the goal of reducing car trips, the law should only count licensed drivers traveling in the same car. And that is not a perfect criterion either.
Georgelemental 4y ago
A parent who already has many children who can't drive in their car doesn't have the room for other drivers, so they would be unable to use the HOV lanes were it not for the child "loophole". IMO incentivising parenthood is something the government should incentivize, so allowing them extra HOV privileges is OK

cato_the_elder 4y ago

I don't know, do you need to wear two seatbelts because you are pregnant?

karmakaze 4y ago

Definitions and judgements aside, I would say "No" from the perspective of enforceability--it's easier to see a Taxi, Bus, or vehicle with two or more visible heads vs a pregnant woman driving.

Georgelemental 4y ago

HOV lanes are meant to encourage efficient utilization of car seats, to keep ratio of (car seats occupied)/(total car seats on road) down. A pregnant woman and her child are two individuals with the right to life, but they can only occupy one car seat, and should be treated as such for HOV occupancy—unless we decide that giving pregnant mothers extra privileges so as to incentivize parenthood and disincentivize abortion is a noble goal.