03/03/2021 10:04
Clarín.com
World
Updated 03/03/2021 10:04
Liveliness lives everywhere.
And the creativity of drivers to be able to use the fast lane for vehicles with more than one passenger on the freeways in California is already celebrated.
Dolls for children.
Lumps of blankets in pushchairs like babies ... but on February 19 the police had to confess that they encountered
the best of all tricks
: a mannequin disguised as an old man and even with a chinstrap.
The mannequin, adorned with gray hair,
wrinkles
, glasses, a Cleveland Indians baseball cap, a face mask and also a pair of sunglasses in his shirt pocket, sat in the passenger seat of the driver's Toyota Tacoma. , when the police stopped the car precisely at a police checkpoint to detect violators of the fast lane for several passengers or
Carpool lane.
The California driver, whose identity was not released, said he had used a dummy as a passenger for at least
a year and a half
to access the special lanes.
Now he faces a fine of at least $ 400.
It all started when Officer S. Sullinger was patrolling the Eastbound 210 Freeway in Glendora looking for carpool lane violators.
The officer noted that the passenger of the Toyota was suspicious and the vehicle also had tinted windows on the front passenger side, something illegal.
When the driver rolled down the window, Sullinger realized that the passenger
was a fake.
It was the "most realistic mannequin," California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez told the Los Angeles Daily News.
"The driver didn't say much," Jiménez said.
"Other than that, he was driving with the dummy and got away with it for a year and a half."
The California police posted the photo of the mannequin on their Facebook page because it was on another level and had to be shared.
"By far one of the best mannequins we've seen. To clarify, we mean this fake passenger. At least he was following the CDC guidelines when wearing his face mask. Nice try, driver. Here's your ticket!"
The "best" mannequin
A man uses a doll and taunts police in California
The driver was cited for the Carpool infraction but the mannequin was not confiscated.
There is no additional punishment for attempting to mislead officers by placing a mannequin in the passenger seat,
Sometimes drivers use a mannequin with the seat back or the doll's feet on the dash to make it look like the passenger is sleeping, Jiménez said.
This officer, who has worked as a Highway Officer for 13 years, said he has also seen people use blankets in an infant seat or even a small doll to make it look like there is a child in the vehicle.
But this case was the most realistic example Jiménez or Sullinger saw.
"I thought I had seen it all, but I guess not," Jiménez said.
"This is something that comes straight out of Disneyland."
Associated Press