With the mannequin on the right. How a driver tried to outwit the police in a lane he wasn't allowed to be in in California
He had a dummy in the passenger seat, but not for a crash test: A driver in California was caught with a doll on board, breaking the rules and driving in the special lane reserved for cars with more passengers, near San Francisco, local police said, according to AFP.
Users of these types of lanes “must be real people, not your handiwork project,” the Hayward Traffic Police humorously reminded in a message posted on social media Tuesday.
The driver had planned almost everything: he had dressed his fake passenger, sitting in the seat, in a blue hooded sweatshirt and a hat.
But the lack of attention to detail betrayed him as the police were intrigued by this faceless figure.
Traffic jams can be hellish in the San Francisco Bay Area and around Los Angeles. To try to streamline traffic and reduce air pollution, California has long instituted multi-passenger lanes.
Located to the left of the fast lanes, they are marked with the logo “HOV”, which means “multiple occupant vehicles” in English. But in everyday life, many drivers abuse them without having the right.
According to Caltrans, the agency that manages California's highways, violators face a $490 fine.
Driver with a passenger in the car, illustrative image. PHOTO: © motortion | Dreamstime.com
