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Monday November 22, 2004
Dear Yahoo!:
Can a pregnant woman drive in the carpool lane legally?
Aerick
Cornoa, California
Dear Aerick:
As if the burden of sharing your body with another person isn't enough, it still does not even legally entitle you to use the carpool lane.
With certain exceptions, carpool lanes are reserved for vehicles carrying multiple occupants. And according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, "An occupant is any person who occupies one seat in the vehicle. Pregnant mothers count as one occupant." That leaves little room for doubt for mommies-to-be in the Tarheel State.
Although the laws governing use of carpool or HOV lanes vary by state, Georgia, Virginia, and California all concur that an unborn baby does not count as an occupant.
This hasn't stopped many pregnant women from testing the limits and even going to court on the issue. Rumor has it that one pregnant woman, pulled over in California, took the case to court and won, but we wouldn't recommend trying it.
And for the record, pets and cadavers don't count as occupants either.
===== "I'm not too worried by hegemony / I know the cadre will look after me" - Magazine, "Model Worker," 1978