Join the HOV club, but watch out for angry people
Starting today, hybrid vehicles can travel the New Jersey Turnpike’s HOV lanes. This follows a trend by other states like Virginia and California to allow solitary drivers with hybrid vehicles in lanes traditionally reserved for carpools.
You should check local regulations before entering a HOV lane in another state. In Virginia, for example, in order for a hybrid vehicle to use Virginia's HOV lanes, you must have Virginia clean special fuel license plates. However, motorcycles are allowed in Virginia HOV lanes.
Some drivers have experienced a hybrid directed road rage that even has been given a name, “Prius Backlash�. It refers to the anger traditional HOV drivers experience when carpool lanes are clogged with hybrids.
Although I doubt too much thought is put into acting on road rage, it would annoy me to see a Lexus RX400H SUV that gets 27 mpg/highway with a single person in it zooming along if I was sitting in the slow lanes in a Toyota Corolla that gets 41 mpg/highway. (New Jersey Turnpike rules)
New Jersey HOV lane usage would be better served by limiting HOV lanes to high mileage hybrids.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike doesn’t use HOV lanes.
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