Man charged for driving with 2 mannequins in HOV lane

Toronto police have charged a man for driving in a high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lane with two mannequins.

The lanes are for cars carrying at least three passengers during the Pan Am/Parapan Games.

On Wednesday, an officer saw a Dodge pick-up truck driving eastbound on the Gardiner Expressway, just east of Kipling Avenue in the HOV lane. There appeared to be a person in the front passenger seat and one in the back, in addition to the driver.

As the vehicle drove past the police cruiser, the officer noticed that the front-seat passenger did not appear to be lifelike. The driver was pulled over and two mannequins, both dressed up in clothing and wearing seatbelts, were discovered.

"On a positive note, everyone in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt," say police.

The man was charged with the appropriate HOV violation.

The HOV lanes are in effect during the Pan Am/Parapan Games. The lanes have inspired businesses like passengers-for-rent and mannequin passengers to get around the three-passenger rule.