The only difference between a hybrid driving slowly in the HOV lane and a Taurus driving slowly in the HOV lane is that the hybrid makes a better target for criticism. Around here there's always someone holding up a string of traffic and they can be driving any make or model of vehicle. The haters tend to forget that there are other reasons to drive the limit besides fuel economy, such as getting busted by our beloved staties who just love to practice with their new LIDAR equipment. Not everyone wants to take that risk, and not everyone is attentive enough to chose the lane that they ought to.