KENT, Wash. – A state trooper working high occupancy vehicle enforcement pulled over a man with a dummy in his car who had been driving in the HOV lane on Nov. 22.
According to the Washington State Patrol, the trooper was heading northbound on Interstate 5 near state Route 516 when he noticed a black 2005 Scion pass him in the HOV lane. While the driver appeared to look normal, the officer said the passenger didn’t look quite real.
The officer stopped the car. In the passenger seat was the pale head of a mannequin stuffed in a sweatshirt and wearing a hat. The usually white, Styrofoam head had been painted beige to give it a more lifelike appearance. On the head was a baseball hat tilted toward the driver.
The driver, a 27-year-old man from Olalla, Wash. simply shrugged his shoulders when questioned about the propped up mannequin.
The driver was cited for an HOV violation after being reminded by the officer that the requirement to drive in the HOV lane is at least two humans inside a vehicle.
If you factor in how much time he probably saved before getting caught I’d be willing to bet he’s still way ahead monetarily after paying what ever the HOV fine is.
that mannequin in the car looked super fake, no wonder he got caught… he’d get caught for sure on I-95 in miami, they have troopers staked out on the side of the HOV lane just looking at everyone passing by, during my 30min drive you prob see about 4-5 different cars getting tickets for HOV violations
i used to use the washington HOV all the time when commuting from NC. the traffic in the lane is usually haulling ass, like 95+. I never had a passenger, but always had a military dress uniform in the window to help me out if i ever got pulled over.