$1,000 ticket for Arlington County HOV infraction

A motorist driving through Arlington County on Thursday apparently received a $1,000 ticket, according to a report released by the Virginia state police.

The citation was issued during what state police called the second wave of their Operation HOV Crackdown, a stepped-up enforcement effort on the high occupancy vehicle lanes on interstates 395 and 95.

In a statement, Capt. Tracy Russillo, commander of the state police Fairfax Division, called the presence of HOV violators on 395 and 95 "the number one complaint" received by police in Northern Virginia.

The aim of the crackdown, he said, was to remind motorists not to risk using the lanes without three occupants "because you will be caught."

In reporting on the Thursday initiative, state police said that in addition to the fourth-offense ticket, which usually carries the $1,000 fine, they issued 25 for first offenses and one for a second.

The steep increase in fines that brought the bite in Northern Virginia to $1,000 for a fourth offense in five years was enacted several years ago because of the severity of the problem. "The law had no teeth," said a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.

Under present regulations, a first offense is $125, a second is $250 and a third, $500.

The travel-time difference between the HOV and regular lanes can be hours on a bad day, and some have described HOV violations as a calculated risk.

In the first phase of the crackdown, on Oct. 21, state police said they issued 69 first-offense tickets and two for second offenses.

The money goes to the State Literary Fund, which was created 199 years ago to provide funding for schools.

In another traffic initiative, state police said they have been participating in a seat belt enforcement program that started Nov. 15 and continues through Sunday.

The police said that in the first 10 months of the year, they cited 24,567 people for failing to use seat belts. (Virginia is a secondary enforcement state, meaning cars may not be stopped solely for seatbelt infractions.)

Noting the approach of Thanksgiving, police urged travelers to use their seat belts. Of the 12 people killed in crashes during the holiday weekend last year, nine were unbelted, police said.

The number killed last year was the lowest in five years. The figure for 2007 was 19; for 2006, 16; for 2005, 20; and for 2004, 19.