What a dummy: Phoenix-area HOV drive ends after fake rider spotted

PHOENIX – A Phoenix-area commuter chasing an easier drive in the HOV lane was pulled over by a state highway trooper Tuesday afternoon who spotted a dummy in the car’s passenger seat.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety tweeted out that the driver had been on U.S. 60. She was caught by a trooper in only his second week of field training.

The dummy, outfitted in a long auburn wig, a pair of enormous sunglasses and a long-sleeve shirt, was buckled in the seat.

#NiceTry! Another HOV violator was cited today after a trooper caught her cruising the US 60 with this very stiff-looking "passenger". The trooper is in his 2nd week of Field Training, a time when they learn to look closely for traffic violations like this one. #AZtroopers pic.twitter.com/KwOWKJI6R2

— Dept. Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) July 30, 2019

Drivers caught breaking HOV rules are subject to $400 fines. There are HOV lanes on Interstate 10 and 17, Loop 101, 202 and 303, U.S. 60 and State Route 51.

The woman was cited.

It’s not a new trick, by any means: DPS nabs about 4,000 people for violating the HOV lane every year.

In April, a man driving along Loop 202 in Mesa with a mannequin strapped in next to him was stopped by a trooper.

Vehicles are only allowed in the Valley’s HOV lanes weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. if they have two or more people aboard.

Cars with Arizona’s “Blue Sky” license plates, motorcycles and buses are also allowed in the lanes during the restricted times.

By 2017, the Arizona Department of Transportation had put up another 250 signs warning of fines for HOV violations.

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