I am about to sell my Prius, so I finally took it in to the body shop to have a dent removed from the front bumper (a bucket flew off a pickup truck on the freeway -- hit and run
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In California, the HOV sticker can be replaced. You'll need to file paperwork with the DMV and send or bring in the other three stickers.
Unless the Califonia government changes its regulations, the HOV sticker is only valid until 2010, after which point your Prius will become just like any other vehicle, restricted to the normal lanes of traffic.
One big problem with that: I'm selling the car. Replacing stickers generally takes months, from what I've read. If I sell the car with the other three stickers attached, and they're valid enough to let it ride in the carpool lane, then that's better than if the buyer has to wait the usual 4-8 months for replacement stickers (during which the time is counting down).
In that case, I should just answer your questions to the best of my ability.
You can file a police report against the Body Shop. You can file a report with the Better Business Bureau. You can ask them for additional compensation due to the decreased value of your vehicle. You can do nothing.
No, the HOV stickers are not valid if one is missing. At the same time, invalid stickers will result in a "fix-it" ticket... you can remedy the issue and pay $10... but only if the driver is every cited for the missing sticker. I'd guess that the likelihood of this is slim.
Interesting, I've never heard of HOV stickers. Wouldn't that status change if you were the only one in the car? (I live in a city small enough to not have HOV lanes.)
The California DMV issued a limited number of HOV or carpool lane stickers to owners of qualifying high mpg cars. The limit was reached in 2006. These stickers enable anyone driving a car issued such stickers to drive in the carpool lane with fewer than two people in the car. (Well, really, with exactly one person. I expect that it's still illegal to drive in the carpool lane with no persons in the car -- though I struggle to think of whom they'd prosecute)
I believe that the theory behind it was that carpool lanes serve two purposes: 1. Lowering congestion to make life more immediately convenient for commuters 2. Lowering pollution to make life more convenient for everyone in the long term
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Unless the Califonia government changes its regulations, the HOV sticker is only valid until 2010, after which point your Prius will become just like any other vehicle, restricted to the normal lanes of traffic.
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Also, the date has been extended to Jan 1, 2011.
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You can file a police report against the Body Shop. You can file a report with the Better Business Bureau. You can ask them for additional compensation due to the decreased value of your vehicle. You can do nothing.
No, the HOV stickers are not valid if one is missing. At the same time, invalid stickers will result in a "fix-it" ticket... you can remedy the issue and pay $10... but only if the driver is every cited for the missing sticker. I'd guess that the likelihood of this is slim.
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I believe that the theory behind it was that carpool lanes serve two purposes:
1. Lowering congestion to make life more immediately convenient for commuters
2. Lowering pollution to make life more convenient for everyone in the long term
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