Painted dummy not good enough for HOV lane

Painted dummy not good enough for HOV lane

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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Story Published: Jan 9, 2008 at 10:37 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 9, 2008 at 10:37 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

RENTON, Wash. -- It was better than a blank balloon, but still not enough to avoid a $124 ticket.

A state trooper stopped a car Wednesday morning after seeing the driver in the HOV lane on State Route 167 near South 180th Street without anyone in the front passenger seat.

When the trooper approached the car he noticed a mannequin in the back seat with a beard and glasses painted onto the usually white Styrofoam head.

State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill said the dummy was not belted in and had slumped forward, which prevented it from being seen by the trooper from the road.

Merrill said the driver, a 41-year-old Puyallup man, simply shrugged his shoulders when questioned about the mannequin and said next time he would use the front seat and a seat belt.

While the car and trooper were on the side of the highway, two vehicles who slowed down to look at the traffic stop collided with each other. No one was injured.

Merrill said troopers have stopped several other drivers in the last year for using mannequin heads and stuffed clothing to cheat their way into the HOV lane.

"In each traffic stop, the attention to detail is improving on the mannequin heads," he said.

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