The Virginia General Assembly has signed off on a bill that would double fines for people who repeatedly violate high occupancy vehicle rules on Northern Virginia highways. The bill now heads to Gov. Mark Warner for his signature.

The bill gained final approval from the state Senate 38-0 after previously passing the House 87-11.

The bill would for the first time treat HOV lane offenses as moving violations, Washington, DC’s WJLA TV reported. Those caught breaking lane rules more than twice within five years would be assessed three points to their license, which could cause them to lose driving privileges and pay higher vehicle insurance bills.

A first offense would remain a $50 fine, but the second would increase from $100 to $200, a third violation from $250 to $500, and subsequent offenses would jump from $500 to $1,000.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bill Mims, R-Leesburg, said his bill – SB508 – is aimed at the driver who “doesn’t believe that the laws apply to them.”

A 2002 Virginia Department of Transportation traffic count found HOV violations ranged from 38 percent on Interstate 65 to 35 percent on Interstate 95 and 28 percent on the Dulles Toll Road.