Woman fined after bringing cat into HOV lane as second “passenger”

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An Ontario driver received a fine after attempting to use a high-occupancy vehicle lane with only a cat as a passenger. Even though the cat was clearly visible riding on her shoulder, officials determined that an animal doesn’t count towards the passenger requirement.

On Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police stopped a car on Highway 417 near Terry Fox Drive in Kanata. The driver, a woman under 30, was using the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane despite being the only person in the car. She explained that she thought she was permitted to use the lane because her cat was with her.

The Ottawa Citizen reported that a tabby cat was seen riding on a driver’s shoulder, with part of its body dangling over the back seat, around noon. The high-occupancy vehicle lane was empty at the time, so there was no reason for the driver to be using it.

Cats don’t count as second passenegers

Ottawa police Constable Michael Fathi, who handles media inquiries, explained that while this situation was uncommon, the rules in Ontario made the outcome straightforward.

Fathi explained that, even though we love our pets, they don’t count as a passenger when it comes to carpooling rules.

Fathi explained that even though he has two cats and a dog, he can’t use carpool lanes unless he has a passenger. He also pointed out that having a cat on a driver’s shoulder isn’t safe and isn’t recommended.

Ontario’s High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are for vehicles with two or more people inside, helping to reduce traffic and encourage carpooling. The rules state that animals don’t count as passengers, no matter how big or well-behaved they are, or where they sit in the car.

The driver was fined $110 and lost three points on their license for driving in an HOV lane illegally. Police confirmed the driver wasn’t impaired or driving aggressively, and the stop was solely related to the HOV violation.

Fathi also noted that there wasn’t much traffic when the driver was pulled over, so using the HOV lane wasn’t justified, even if the driver was eligible to use it.

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2025-12-20 21:18