Driver caught using carpool lanes with stuffed dinosaur passenger

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A Washington state driver is facing a hefty fine after being caught using a highway carpool lane with a giant stuffed dinosaur as their only passenger.

Trooper Rick Johnson of the Washington State Patrol said a driver was pulled over Wednesday for speeding in the high-occupancy vehicle lanes of Interstate 5 northbound.

The trooper conducting the traffic stop quickly discovered the driver's only passenger was a big green stuffed dinosaur toy.

"Even if you have a favorite stuffed animal it doesn't count as a passenger for the HOV," Johnson wrote.

The driver could be facing a hefty fine thanks to a law that took effect last summer that adds a $200 fine to the $186 base fine for a HOV violation if a driver is caught "using a dummy, doll, or other human facsimile to make it appear that an additional person is in the vehicle."