Nevada Highway Patrol issues 31 citations for HOV lane violations

The initial period of enforcement on new high occupancy vehicle lanes in the Las Vegas Valley yielded dozens of citations.

The Nevada Highway Patrol said it handed out 31 HOV violation tickets as of 2 p.m. Friday, after it began policing the lanes Thursday following a 30-day grace period.

Aside from the initial saturation, the NHP will begin targeted enforcement on the U.S. Highway 95 and Interstate 15 carpool lanes on July 1, according to spokesman Jason Buratczuk.

HOV targeted enforcement events will occur throughout the month of July, Buratczuk said.

Motorists can violate HOV lane regulations in a number of ways including driving in an HOV lane with only one occupant, crossing the double solid white lines when entering or exiting the lanes, and driving a vehicle with more than two axles.

With the new HOV lane restrictions going into effect this week, one local law firm is offering free representation for anyone cited for a carpool lane infraction.

“There will be no charge for the firm’s legal services, though fines may still apply,” De Castroverde Law Group said in a statement. “The firm’s goal is to reduce the fine and avoid any points being added to the driver’s record.”

Clients who hire the firm to help with HOV lane tickets will not need to appear in court for their infraction, the release read.

De Castroverde Law Group partner Alex De Castroverde doesn’t agree with the new HOV lane regulations and doesn’t believe the HOV lanes are doing a good job of reducing traffic, according to the release.

“In fact, he (De Castroverde) has argued that they could be causing more accidents and air pollution, rather than alleviating them,” the statement said.

NHP declined to respond to De Castroverde Law Group’s offer.

To help the NHP saturate the HOV lanes and enforce new regulations surrounding them, the Nevada Department of Transportation provided $10,000 to go toward trooper overtime.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.