Police catch man driving in carpool lane with homemade dummy strapped into backseat

Elena Sheppard
Updated

New York police pulled over a man who was illegally driving in the carpool lane with a homemade dummy in the backseat, secured with a seatbelt.

According to the New York Police Department, on Tuesday, the driver (who was in his mid-50s), had wanted to avoid traffic by occupying the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane, which requires two or more passengers in a vehicle. So he dressed a dummy in a sweatshirt, pants, a hat, sunglasses, and sat it upright to resemble a real person.

A representative of the New York Police Department (NYPD) tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the driver possessed a New Jersey license, on which he received points for disobeying traffic devices.

Dummies have been a common method for drivers to illegally use carpool lanes. People have reportedly been pulled over in these designated routes with wooden “passengers” or mannequins. In one case, a driver threw a hat and T-shirt over a passenger’s seat.

According to a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, HOV Lane violations have been increasing, and states including New York, California, and Florida now have police units dedicated to patrolling carpool lanes for fake passengers.

Police departments are also shaming violators on social media. The Oakland police department in San Fransisco did so in March when a driver was caught with two dummies in the backseat while driving in the HOV Lane. In addition to cracking a few jokes at the driver’s expense, the Oakland PD made clear that the driver’s license was suspended and that the minimum ticket would amount to $500. Laws vary from state to state.

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