Driver on I-405 caught using fake skeleton as passenger in HOV lane
Feb 15, 2022, 7:07 AM | Updated: 8:58 am
An HOV violator and his "passenger" along I-405 near Coal Creek. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Patrol/Twitter)
(Photo courtesy of Washington State Patrol/Twitter)
Drivers attempting to cheat in the HOV lanes in Washington over the years have tried a variety of tactics to fool state troopers. Once such driver was caught in the act Monday, after dressing a fake skeleton in a hoodie and buckling it into the front seat.
The fake passenger was highlighted by Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson on Twitter, who caught the offending driver on southbound I-405 near Coal Creek.
SB 405 near Coal Creek. #DoesNotCount for HOV. #GottaBeAlive. pic.twitter.com/aqFxHulLYT
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) February 15, 2022
In the past, drivers have attempted to pull similar HOV lane ploys with dolls, mannequins, dirty laundry, and, in one case, an inflatable Ruth Bader Ginsburg donning a North Seattle Community College sweatshirt. It became enough of an issue on the state’s roadways that, in 2019, lawmakers passed a bill tacking on an additional $200 fine to HOV violators who use dummies, dolls, or any other form of fake people. That’s on top of the $186 fine for first-time HOV offenders, and $336 for multiple offenders.
As Trooper Johnson aptly pointed out, any HOV passenger has “#gottabealive.”
