Impatient drivers often leave traffic jams for the HOV lane; some return to traffic, while others stay in the lane until it ends. Either way, the driver is violating the HOV rules – enter Occupancy Detection System, or ODS. The $5 million technology works to photograph the interior of someone’s vehicle as they come to the end of the 91 Expressway in Riverside County.
David Knudsen is the deputy executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission, which owns that portion of the 91 Express Lanes designated for 3+ passengers. He told me they are the first in the nation to deploy the latest technology, and in the brief time it has been up and running the agency has already recouped more than a million dollars in toll fees lost because of drivers who violated the HOV 3+ lane policy. The photo technology can even see through tinted windows.
The special lane runs from the Riverside/Orange County line to the 15 freeway and is clearly designated for vehicles with three or more occupants. While you don’t need a FastTrak transponder for this section, you must have an account with the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The special cameras flash multiple photos. If the computer detects a possible violation, an RCTC employee reviews the photos to confirm it.
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