Friday, January 24th

Man cited for using fake skeleton to drive in HOV lane

This Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, photo provided by the Arizona Department of Public Safety shows a dummy skeleton found after a State Trooper traffic stop of a 62-year-old man for an HOV lane violation in Phoenix. (Arizona Department of Public Safety via AP)

PHOENIX (AP) - A 62-year-old man was cited in Arizona this week after trying to disguise a fake skeleton as a passenger just to use the HOV lane.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a trooper pulled over the man on Thursday after noticing he had placed a fake skeleton in the passenger's front seat.

The skeleton was sitting upright, wearing a hat and tied to the front seat.

Department spokesman Raul Garcia said troopers cite about 7,000 HOV lane violators every year. Last April, a man was pulled over after driving in the HOV lane with a mannequin wearing a sweatshirt, baseball cap and sunglasses.