WSP: Man Attempts to Cheat HOV Lane with Stuffed Coat (Picture)

A hooded coat stuffed with clothes was the only “passenger” a Washington State Patrol trooper discovered when he pulled over a pickup that made a sudden, unsafe exit from the HOV lane on Interstate 405 near NE 160th Street east of Kenmore, according to a Washington State Patrol press release.

During the Tuesday evening commute around 5 p.m. a trooper observed an older Toyota Pickup truck move out of the HOV lane so suddenly that it drew his attention, according to the press release.

According to the press release, the driver told the trooper, “Sir, I have no excuse,” when asked about the seat belted hooded coat that was sitting upright in the passenger seat stuffed like a mannequin torso and head.

The man received a citation from the HOV violation, according to the state patrol.

According to the Washington Department of Transportation, vehicles in the HOV lanes during operating hours without the required number of people, or trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds, are subject to a $124 fine from the Washington State Patrol.