A California driver was fined after allegedly trying to use a life-size dummy to bypass the rules of the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, also known as the “carpool lane“.
According to authorities from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the vehicle was stopped in the Hayward area, in the San Francisco Bay Area, after officers became suspicious of the “passenger” sitting in the front seat.
The dummy was wearing a blue hoodie, jeans and a hat, but one detail considered decisive by officers drew attention: it had no face.
According to The New York Post, the driver allegedly used the dummy to try to gain access to carpool lanes and avoid tolls charged on express lanes in the region. The CHP said the vehicle was set in the FasTrak Flex system as if it had more than one occupant.
Police posted images of the dummy on social media and mocked the case, saying that “HOV lane occupants need to be real people, not an arts and crafts project.” The driver was cited for toll evasion.
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Similar cases have been recurring in California in recent months. In other recent incidents, drivers have been caught trying to use plastic skeletons, jackets arranged as fake passengers and even mannequins with masks to fool enforcement officers monitoring the special lanes.
According to the California Department of Transportation, fines for improper use of HOV lanes can exceed US$490, especially in repeat-offender cases.
Photos: Wikimedia / California Highway Patrol (CHP). This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
