Toronto police nab driver in HOV lane using mannequins as passengers
Posted July 8, 2015 4:25 pm.
Last Updated July 8, 2015 5:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Montreal Expos baseball cap, a floral blouse, long black hair and a bungee cord to hold her upright in the front passenger seat.
Sound familiar?
Purchasing mannequins or renting people to drive along in vehicles is becoming a common way for people trying to scam the high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) lanes, but this driver couldn’t fool Toronto police.
Toronto Police nabbed a man Wednesday morning using dummies as passengers while driving in lane temporarily designated for high-occupancy vehicles during the Pan Am Games.
Police say they spotted the man’s Dodge pick-up truck traveling eastbound on the Gardiner Expressway in the HOV lane with two passengers on Wednesday at 8:50 a.m.
The Dodge was following the new HOV rule of having a total of three people in the vehicle – or so it appeared.
But only one person in the car wasn’t made out of plastic.
The officer noticed that the front seat passenger did not appear to be “life-like.”
That was because it was a very well dressed mannequin, but everyone did have their seat belts on.
The driver was charged with the appropriate HOV offence.
Under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA), the fine for incorrect use of HOV lanes on highways is $110 plus three demerit points.
The Gardiner and DVP aren’t considered highways under the HTA resulting in a of $85 fine without demerit points attached.
