A lone driver was caught and treated to a scary ticket after using a creepy clown dummy as his passenger in the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in Washington state.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson, public information officer for the Washington State Patrol District 2, said in an X post that the driver was in the HOV lanes on Interstate 405 in Renton, Washington when a trooper noticed an unusual occupant in the passenger seat.
After pulling over the creative driver, Johnson confirmed that the passenger was a spooky clown dummy. The creepy clown featured flaming red hair and a red foam nose.
The officer said that whiled he loved the spooky vibe, inflatables don’t count for a legitimate HOV passenger.
“Love the Halloween vibe but still doesn’t count,” Johnson wrote.
What’s more frightening is how the use of a dummy added more money to the infraction.
The use of a dummy actually adds more money to the infraction. Twitter/@wspd2pioThe exact price of this particular ticket is unknown, but according to the Washington State Department of Transportation, first-time HOV violators receive a fine of $186.
If that same driver receives another HOV violation within a two-year period, that ticket increases to $336.
However, anyone who uses a doll or a dummy in the car will automatically have $200 added to the ticket.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, first-time HOV violators receive a fine of $186. Twitter/@wspd2pio