LOS ANGELES: A driver on California’s notoriously congested highways put a life-sized dummy in the passenger seat to trick his way into the faster carpool lane, only to get caught for forgetting one detail: the face.

High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) carriageways are an effort in California to reduce traffic by encouraging ride-sharing, often requiring there to be at least two people travelling in a vehicle.

Cops in Hayward, near San Francisco, became suspicious on Tuesday when they noticed the passenger in one vehicle - slumped over, wearing a blue hoodie and a sun hat — appeared to have no face.

“Reminder: HOV occupants need to be actual people, not your arts and crafts project,” police posted on Facebook. Drivers who flout the rules can be fined $490, according to Caltrans, the body that operates the state’s freeways.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2026