HOV Violation - Go to court or just pay the fine? (Fairfax: live, costs)

[MSUdom5]

Hey everyone. I just moved to NOVA a few weeks ago from MS. Needless to say, I'm very new to traffic around here. I work very close to where I live, so I hardly ever need to use the beltway or interstate. This morning, my company sent me to MD for a meeting. I was on 66E and needed to get onto 495N. I looked up, and saw a 495 exit to the left. Didn't realize it at the time, but it was an HOV only exit. State troopers were right around the corner pulling every 4th or 5th vehicle over. I still didn't realize why. Thought maybe they were doing random checks for something. I didn't realize I had done something wrong until the trooper brought me a $125 ticket. I'm a safe (albeit naive) driver, never had a ticket before, new to the area. Should I bother going to court and pleading my case, or would it be a lost cause? Should I suck it up, call it a lesson learned, and just pay the fine? Any feedback would be helpful.

Thanks,
MSUdom5

[dkf747]

489? You mean 495? I would think so, except that you said you were on 66 Eastbound. That would not be an HOV violation. I assume that you were really on 66 going westbound and got onto 267 then onto 495 North. Am I correct? Is there a road with the number 489 that I don't know about?

[pcity]

If you're on 66E in the morning, before you get to 495, the left lane is HOV2.

From this left lane, there's an exit to 495N that's HOV2-only. I think that's what the original poster took since she specifically mentioned the left exit.

I can't really help with the ticket though. Not sure how lenient judges are with HOV.

[Erma]

ewwww...nope, I don't believe you'll get off. Pay the ticket.

[MSUdom5]

Yeah, I meant 495. Yes pcity, that's the exit I took.

[NOVAmtneer82]

I would just pay the ticket. The traffic court will just basically come to the conclusion that you should've seen the HOV signs that are posted near that particular exit. I could see if you are new to the area maybe getting slightly confused but that will never hold up in court.

[frogbiscuit]

Pay the fine, they'll jack up the court costs more if you are found guilty in court.

[statecollege]

Pay. Even if you missed the signs, they are sufficiently posted. What you would be telling the judge is that you were not paying adequate attention to the signs. I empathize, but I doubt a judge will.

[gnu]

HOV violation fines are the bread and butter of Fairfax County revenues. You can bet that if there is an HOV offramp, that there will be a squad of cops there at least four times a month just ready to catch violators. This is routine in the area, and not something brand new; going to court will be a waste of your morning.

[MSUdom5]

Thanks for the advice everyone.