85,000 California hybrid drivers can no longer drive alone in the carpool lane

85,000 California hybrid drivers are losing their ‘golden ticket’ to fly solo in the carpool lane.

As of July 1st, using those yellow “California Clean Air Vehicle” stickers with just one person in the diamond land will get you a ticket that could be used as a down payment for a diamond.

“It’s close to 400 dollars,” says Officer Adrian Quintero of the California Highway Patrol.

FOX40 employee Allan Goff says he’s prepared for his sweet ride from Folsom to South Sacramento to come to an end Friday. “I’ve been practicing all week not using the car pool lane, because I don’t want to get caught tomorrow,” says Goff.

Hybrid drivers have been living off of a six-month grace period because the program was supposed to end in January. Introduced in 2004, the sticker was a way to encourage folks to buy hybrids.

But scofflaw beware, the C.H.P. says they’ll have their eyes peeled if you’re trying to cheat.

“For us it’s actually very easy to spot individuals — they’ll see the patrol cars, apply the brakes and start diving out of the lane trying to merge back on,” says Quintero.

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