Another Washington Dummy Caught in the HOV Lane & Fined

Even though still pretty obvious, this is one of the better fake passengers I've seen getting a ticket in the HOV lane.

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Washington State Trooper Busts Another Dummy in HOV Lane

The Washington State Patrol posted on social media after finding another HOV lane driver caught with a fake passenger. Well, I guess it was two dummies, although only one is responsible for paying the fine. HOV stands for "high occupancy vehicle" and is open only to vehicles with at least 2 or more people inside during different times on Washington State highways. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, "HOV, HOT, and express toll lanes are strategies to maximize the movement of people on existing roadways by managing the number of vehicles in the lane to stay below capacity, providing more reliable speeds and increasing the advantage of using transit and high occupancy vehicles." One small detail about the law is that ALL PASSENGERS MUST BE REAL HUMANS.

Washington State Patrol's HOV Violation Issues

The picture above was posted by the Washington State Patrol busting the latest HOV dummy after spotting them traveling northbound on I-405 near NE 6th in the HOV lane. The obvious dummy was easy to spot forcing the Trooper to make a traffic stop and deliver a large ticket. The driver spent time trying to cover their work with another sweatshirt before pulling over but to no avail. The Trooper said he was happy that "At least a seatbelt was used!" HOV lane violators are one of the most common tickets that the State Patrol writes in a month. Last September, the Washington State Patrol wrote over 1,600 HOV tickets during emphasis patrols in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties showing just how often HOV violations happen. What most people do not seem to understand is that by putting a fake passenger dummy in your passenger seat, you actually increase the fine by $200. WSDOT explains it clearly saying, "For a first violation the fine is $186, and all subsequent violations within a two-year period increase to $336. If a doll or dummy is placed in the car, an additional $200 will be added to the fine."