Carepool Lanes and Inflatable Dolls

A discussion with Nicolas and Laurent on inflatable simulated targets in the form of tanks/aircrafts, reminded me of the inflatable dolls used in California to drive in carpool lanes. Answer.com reports on this life-hack:

When HOV lanes were first introduced in California in the 1970s, some drivers would place an inflatable doll in the passenger seat in an attempt to fool regulators. This was soon outlawed, but the practice persists. In the UK, for example, in 2005 a camera that was claimed to distinguish mannequins or dolls from humans was being tested on the Forth Road Bridge in an effort to thwart cheaters.

The ruses to drive alone in carpool lanes include:

• Applying make-up to a wig stand and affixing it to clothing stuffed with newspapers (then strapping the finished product into the passenger seat with a seatbelt)
• Store mannequins, blow-up dolls, kickboxing dummies, cardboard cut-outs, and even balloons (with faces drawn on them in marking pen).
• Buckling the passenger-side seat belt and pretending to talk to someone reclining in that seat.
• Covering an empty infant seat with a blanket or placing a doll in it.
• Taping a styrofoam wig stand to the passenger headrest and topping it with a blonde wig.
• Strapping the family pooch into the passenger seat.

Source

Relation to my thesis: getting into the LIFT mood. The Cyclops employed to detect “fake passengers” is also an interesting example of having to build a system to compensate the people’s abuse of automation. The new system was seen as vital in monitoring traffic when new electronic tollbooths come online, which would further encourage cheating as they allow for variable rates depending on how many passengers are in the car.