The driver said he would never do it again, but was still given a ticket.
A California driver thought he could beat the traffic with a mannequin as his passenger, but he could not beat the ticket he was given when he was caught.
View: The Craziest HOV Lane Stunts
The driver's scheme ended in Orange County when he was pulled over after cutting off an officer in the HOV lane. The officer quickly noticed something odd about his passenger, who was dressed up as a female passenger with red lipstick and a hoodie.
The officer snapped a photo of the mannequin and it was posted on Twitter by the Brea Police Department.
Motor officer stopped Veh for unsafe lane change in carpool lane 57 Fwy. Look at pic of passenger. Nice try. pic.twitter.com/M1ijtwtEjC
— Brea Police Dept (@BreaPD) September 22, 2016
The driver apologized to the officer and said he would never do it again but was still given a $490 ticket. Police say the fine increases for repeat offenders.
CBSLA’s Stacey Butler spoke to other motorists about the incident in Los Angeles and one said: “It is not exactly the most intelligent way to cheat the carpool lane. The amount of cops I see on the carpool lane... that is the most likely place you are going to get caught.”
Another person told CBSLA, that the stunt was “perfect.”
This was not the first time that a driver thought they were being clever and cheating the system by using a doll as a faux passenger.
In July, a Long Island woman was fined after she used bags and clothes to make a dummy to get into the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway.
Also in July, a Virginia woman was caught using a life-like mannequin to fool officers and other drivers as she used the carpool lane.
Read: Driver Caught Using 'Most Interesting Man in the World' Cutout in Car Pool Lane
The Fairfax County Police posted the image on Facebook and said: “Our Fairfax County Police Department spotted a dummy aiding an HOV violator. Officers report the hair gave it away."
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