Dumb and dummy: Driver cheats carpool lane with mannequin

A driver in the US has been handed a traffic infringement for “multiple carpool violations” after police found the driver accompanied by a plastic mannequin dressed as a human.

According to the California Highway Patrol Santa Fe Spring’s Instagram post, authorities stopped the motorist after they detected the driver crossing solid double lines on an unspecified road.

Once stopped, an officer noticed the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle and what appeared to be a human-like mask wearing sunglasses, and a hoodie positioned to sit upright with its passenger seatbelt locked-in for added realism.

Police said the fake facial hair was the biggest giveaway.

“The goatee was sharp … a little too sharp,” the CHP Instagram post stated.

According to police, drivers cannot use the carpool lane without a passenger in the vehicle, and a mannequin does not count as a second occupant.

"We've gotta give it to them, the appearance is next-level modelling but at the end of the day ... plastic is plastic," authorities said.

Online commenters added to the light-hearted nature of the traffic violation, likening the mannequin's appearance to famous rapper Snoop Dogg.