Are Laws Made to be Broken?

(Photo: picocarhot / Flickr)(Photo: picocarhot / Flickr)

I thought the point of carpool lanes was to cut down on the amount of drivers for traffic and environmental reasons. However, it looks like these once-designated lanes are more of an option than a set rule.

In Los Angeles on AB 405, lone drivers will be able to cruise in carpool lanes during certain times of the day without the fear of being ticketed under a proposed bill, according to Pasadena Patch. The idea behind it is that drivers shouldn’t have to wait in traffic after peak hours if the carpool lane is empty.

But isn’t it those bad traffic experiences that make someone want to carpool, just so they could use that other lane? This wishy-washy idea strikes a nerve with me.

I feel like we live in a time where, if we don’t like a law or rule, we just change it to fit our current needs. There are rarely black-and-white answers – instead we live in a sort of fuzzy gray area. Maybe we should also change up some other laws. For example, if you’re driving in a single lane with no cars around you – yet there is a double yellow line – maybe you should have the choice of crossing over it, just because.

I know we are simply talking about one carpool lane, miles away from where I live, but it’s more about the bigger picture for me. And feel free to disagree. Maybe I’m just too Old School and prefer we follow the rules set in place.