Driver busted for driving in HOV lane with scary clown dummy in passenger seat

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 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.