Skip to main content

Skeleton key to Arizona HOV lane violation

The lengths to which drivers will go to speed up their journey has been brought into focus by one man’s – slightly grisly - ingenuity.
By Adam Hill January 28, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Skeleton crew (picture from Arizona Department of Public Safety)

Arizona Department of Public Safety (ADPS) revealed that one of its officers has issued a ticket to a 62-year-old man who was illegally using a Phoenix high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane.

In itself this is not particularly unusual. HOV lanes are a fixture on routes which are prone to congestion and it is far from unknown for devious, lone commuters to position shop window dummies in their passenger seats to beat the system. But it is uncommon for someone to try the same thing with a skeleton as a co-driver.

The bare bones of the matter are these: the offence took place on Arizona State Route 101 near Apache Blvd in Phoenix. The skeleton, shrouded in Halloween cobwebs and topped with a battered camouflage hat, was propped up in a bid to circumvent the forces of law enforcement. 

ADPS saw straight through the ploy. Using the hashtags ‘NiceTry’ and ‘YoureNotHeMan’, the organisation tweeted: “Think you can use the HOV lane with Skeletor riding shotgun? You’re dead wrong!”

A less than amused ADPS spokesman told ITS International: “What we would add is that this behaviour is not only illegal, it is also a disservice to all other motorist that are attempting to do the right thing.”


Related Content

  • BlackBerry’s Jeff Davis: ‘Hands off 5.9GHz!’
    September 25, 2019
    As a US Marine, BlackBerry’s Jeff Davis saw the world’s trouble spots. But much of his attention is now focused on what he sees as the ITS sector’s biggest issue: cybersecurity. Adam Hill finds out more Oh, I often feel I’m the dumbest guy in the room,” laughs Jeff Davis, senior director, connected transportation, at BlackBerry. It’s hard to credit this. Davis has a range of experience that sets him apart from most people in the ITS sector. He was in the US Marine Corps, with seven tours of duty, inclu
  • Hayden AI & Snapper Services keep their eyes on the road
    August 29, 2024
    Snapper Services CEO Miki Szikszai and Chris Carson, CEO of Hayden AI, tell Adam Hill about synergy and partnership – and how to make use of data once you’ve gathered it
  • When speed compliance becomes a safety issue
    March 29, 2017
    David Crawford finds that softly, softly can be safely, safely when it comes to speed enforcement. Comedians and controversial TV presenters have long made jokes about having to watch the speedometer so closely as they pass speed camera after speed camera that they mow down bus queues. But the joke may have some factual basis according to a study by researchers from the University of Western Australia.
  • Tolling Matters: Open your eyes - see the possibilities
    September 27, 2022
    Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, commissioner of New Jersey DoT and IBTTA president 2022, talks to Adam Hill about the importance of mentoring young people - and why it's good to share pivotal experiences