The smug car pool laners with the yellow tags are being targeted by eco-banditos. A roving band of thieves has been snatching the yellow stickers and trading them for cash, reports abc7. One loon was even selling a pair of stickers he received accidentally on eBay for $10,000.
The DMV estimated two to three dozen drivers a month have requested replacement stickers since the Department of Motor Vehicles stopped giving them out in January, driving up the value of the yellow stickers.
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Drivers suspect sticker snatchers are selling the coveted tags, which are valid through January 2011. The state capped the number of hybrids with special Clean Air Vehicle driving privileges at 85,000. The tags provide all sorts of driver benefits, including access to HOV lanes even when you're the sole occupant of your vehicle and free parking at meters in the City of LA. However, officials warn that the stickers once removed will crack, blister and the word "VOID" will magically appear on it, rendering them useless.
· Thieves Stealing Carpool Lane Stickers From Cars [abc7]
· New Hybrid Owners SOL in Carpool Lanes [Curbed LA]