Virginia motorists driving environmentally friendly cars could continue driving in high-occupancy-vehicle lanes without carrying any passengers under legislation the General Assembly approved last month.
The bill, which Gov. Tim Kaine is reviewing, would extend the passenger exemption to July 1, 2008. Without the bill, the exemption would end July 1 of this year.
“We want to encourage people to drive these vehicles because they are better for the environment,” said Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, who introduced the bill.
Hugo wanted to remove the passenger requirements for a longer period of time but the federal government has to first extend its exemption beyond 2008.
To qualify for the exemption, a vehicle must run on clean-burning fuel such as compressed natural gas, hydrogen or a combination of hybrid gasoline and electricity and have a special state-issued license plate. Vehicles registered before July 1, 2006, can drive in the HOV lanes on Interstate 66, the Dulles Toll Road and the Interstate 95/Interstate 395 lanes from Quantico to the District of Columbia.
