A Bay Area driver was cited after trying to pass off a faceless dummy as a passenger while using a carpool lane, the California Highway Patrol’s Hayward office said Tuesday.
The agency posted a photo showing the decoy buckled into the front passenger seat, dressed in a blue hoodie, jeans, a red cloth covering and a brimmed hat pulled low.
CHP said the driver apparently used the fake passenger to justify setting the FasTrak Flex transponder to a carpool occupancy level.
“Their partner lacked one important detail,” the agency said. “A face.”
CHP Hayward said its officers issued the driver a toll evasion citation.
The case is the latest example of a Bay Area driver accused of using a prop to get around carpool or express lane rules.
Under Bay Area FasTrak rules, drivers using FasTrak Flex tags are responsible for setting the switch to match the number of people in the vehicle.
In express lanes, CHP enforces occupancy rules; when a tag is set to “2” or “3+,” officers may be alerted that the vehicle is claiming carpool eligibility and can visually confirm whether the vehicle qualifies, according to Bay Area FasTrak.
High-occupancy vehicle lanes and express lane rules vary by corridor.
Some lanes require two or more occupants, while others require three or more for toll-free or discounted travel. According to officials, an occupant is defined as a person using a safety restraint, such as a seat belt — not a dummy, mannequin or Halloween decoration.
An HOV lane violation carries a minimum $490 fine in California, according to Caltrans, and the cost can be higher for repeat offenders or when local administrative fees are added.
CHP Hayward put the warning more bluntly: “HOV occupants need to be actual people, not your arts and crafts project.”