Vehicles can tow trailers in HOV lane

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Today’s question: If there are two or more people in a truck pulling a fifth-wheel trailer, is it legal to travel in the HOV lane? I say yes, my father says no.

Traffic Guy’s answer: I don’t want to create any family turmoil, but only one of you can be right.

Vehicles towing trailers are not supposed to travel in the left lane of a freeway with three or more lanes, but the HOV lane doesn’t count.

ABOUT TRAFFIC GUY

Who is he? Doug Dahl, the Traffic Safety Program coordinator for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, answers reader questions about traffic issues.
What can he answer? Dahl works with other agencies, so he can get answers to questions about city, county or state roads or the police who patrol them.
How do I ask a question? Go to Jared Paben’s Transportation Talk blog and leave a comment or e-mail jared.paben@bellinghamherald.com.
Looking for more on Traffic Guy or traffic safety? Go to the Web page of the Whatcom County Traffic Safety Task Force, www.trafficsafetyinfo.net.

By law, the HOV lane is not considered the left-hand lane of a roadway.

That means that even if you tow a trailer you can drive in the HOV lane as long as you meet the occupant requirements.

The Washington Administrative Code specifically mentions recreational vehicles as authorized to use HOV lanes.

There is one limitation: Vehicles that exceed 10,000 pounds are prohibited from driving in the HOV lane regardless of the number of occupants.

In addition to recreational vehicles, the law specifies several other vehicle types that can use the HOV lane — municipal transit vehicles, buses that can carry 16 or more passengers, motorcycles and on-duty law enforcement or fire department vehicles equipped with lights and siren.

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