Driver caught with stuffed dinosaur in HOV lane on I-5

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A trooper with the Washington State Patrol was in for a surprise when a driver was pulled over for speeding on I-5 Wednesday morning.

According to Trooper Rick Johnson, the driver had a stuffed dinosaur buckled in the passenger seat of the car.

>> HOV cheat hot spots: Where you’re most likely to get caught

Troopers said the car was pulled over while speeding in the northbound high-occupancy vehicle lane of I-5 near the South 320th Street exit in Federal Way.

“Even if you have a favorite stuffed animal it doesn’t count as a passenger for the HOV,” Johnson said in a tweet.

Troopers say in 2017, they pulled over 11,330 drivers for HOV lane violations.

KIRO 7 dug through those Washington State Patrol violations, and 428 of the ticketed drivers were repeat violators.

In 70,000 HOV violations spanning multiple years, the top “hot” spot is the northbound I-405 curve north of Renton, between mileposts three and five.

This falls under the category of #DoesNotCount. Trooper Brock contacted this vehicle for speed and HOV NB I-5 near 320th. Even if you have a favorite stuffed animal it doesn't count as a passenger for the HOV! pic.twitter.com/T3UQ7y9ihp
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) February 12, 2020