Skeleton pretends to be a passenger and breaks into ride-sharing lanes. Highway police- Restrictions on living people

In a recent incident in San Jose, California, highway patrol officers stumbled upon a rather unusual violation of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane rules. Instead of a human passenger in the front seat, they found what appeared to be a skeleton.

Fortunately, it turned out that the skeleton was merely a plastic prop, but the driver had gone the extra mile by accessorizing it with a spooky mask reminiscent of the “Scream” horror franchise. From a distance, it could easily catch someone off guard. However, this was no trick that could fool the highway patrol. The officers issued a citation and took to Facebook with a light-hearted jab: “Although Halloween is around the corner, HOV lanes are still for living passengers only.”

The California Highway Patrol informed the San Francisco Chronicle that the male driver was clearly attempting to game the system by using the plastic skeleton, decked out in a mask and buckled into the passenger seat. However, dressing up a prop does not meet the requirement to use the carpool lane, which is reserved for actual human occupants.

California’s traffic regulations explicitly state that HOV lanes are designed to promote carpooling and maximize road capacity. Violators can face fines up to $490, and the Bay Area alone records approximately 50,000 HOV violations each year. However, law enforcement did not disclose the identity of this particular violator or the specifics of the fine imposed.

This isn’t an isolated case; similar incidents have occurred in other areas as well. In 2020, for example, a 62-year-old driver in Arizona also tried to use the HOV lane with a skeleton. Other dubious attempts have included transporting mannequins or even claiming that a pregnant woman’s unborn child qualifies as a passenger, leading to legal disputes.