Highway Patrol’s Crackdown on Car-Pool Lane Violations

Regarding the rules (Nov. 27) on the car-pool lane violations: I think the program is a good one. We need all the incentives we can get to conserve energy. A car-pool program is no replacement for a good mass transit system (which we are sorely lacking in the Los Angeles-Orange County area), but it is a consciousness-raiser: It forces people to confront issues and actively make choices.

However, I would caution against the use of enforcement programs such as those in Washington and Virginia, where motorists call a toll-free number to report license numbers of violators. I frequently drive with my three children under 8 (one in a large infant car seat), but they still can’t be seen from the perspective of most drivers around me. When I use the car-pool lanes, other motorists sometimes give me dirty looks. Once an especially obnoxious driver in a truck (with only one passenger) crossed over the double yellow lines and cut me off, nearly forcing me into the center divider.

On another occasion, a Highway Patrol officer on a motorcycle stopped me in error. He apologized and suggested my children raise their hands to indicate their presence if the situation should occur again. (What if they’re sleeping?)

We don’t need vigilantes: They’re dangerous and a public nuisance. Let the Highway Patrol do the job. They get the facts before passing judgment.

CHRISTINE TAXIER

Cypress