California motorist fined for creative carpool lane hack

Using a carpool or transit lane can help you cut through traffic. What happens, though, if you’re in a rush but don’t have a passenger?

The answer isn’t to use a mannequin, as one motorist discovered when they were pulled over by the California Highway Patrol in Santa Fe Springs, located in Los Angeles County.

The law enforcement agency shared an image of the motorist’s plastic companion on Instagram, which might have been convincing from a distance but certainly wasn’t up close.

The motorist also called attention to their ruse by crossing solid double white lines in front of an officer.

“The goatee was sharp… just a little too sharp,” reads the post on the CHP Santa Fe Springs Instagram account.

“The driver was subsequently issued a citation for multiple carpool violations.

“We’ve gotta give it to them, the appearance is next level modelling but at the end of the day… plastic is plastic.”