State Police Caught Someone Driving with a Dummy in the HOV Lane

After an unusual run-in with a driver in the HOV carpool lane, Massachusetts State Police have a message for drivers statewide: “Don’t Be a Dummy.”

Police say Trooper Todd Glidden was patrolling the I-93 HOV lane in Charlestown when he spotted a man using the lane, which is reserved for cars with two or more passengers, with a companion in his passenger seat who “just didn’t seem right.”

According to a report the department posted on Facebook this afternoon, the driver did not stop when Glidden motioned for him to pull over. Nor did he stop when Trooper Kevin O’Brien waved him aside further down the road as well. But eventually Glidden was able to catch up to the driver and pulled him over.

And that’s when Glidden learned his instincts were correct. Because on closer inspection, it turns out the driver’s buddy—sporting a hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap, an orange vest, and sunglasses—was a mannequin.

The clever commuter, a 44-year-old man from Reading, was cited for an HOV violation and failure to stop for a police officer.

“Please remember,” police wrote in a Facebook post. “The HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane is for two or more (actual) human beings.”

Consider yourself warned.