A police officer pulls you over for using an HOV lane alone. Besides the ticket, what are you required to do — and why can't you simply pull out of the lane where you are?

Correct answer: B. Stay in the lane to the next entry/exit zone — crossing the striped buffer markings is itself illegal

You have to stay in the HOV lane until the next entry/exit zone and re-enter the general lanes there. The Handbook states both halves: "If you use the HOV lanes improperly, you can be stopped and ticketed by a police officer. You will be required to re-enter the general lanes at the next entry/exit zone." The reason you cannot just swerve out is the striped buffer painted between the HOV lane and the general lanes — "it is illegal and unsafe to cross the striped buffer pavement markings." Those markings are there precisely because an HOV lane usually runs faster than the lane beside it, so crossing at a random point puts a large speed difference and a blind spot in the same place. Being in the wrong lane is not a reason to commit a second offence getting out of it.

Source: MTO Driver's Handbook: Freeway driving — High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, improper use and the buffer zone