Driver used skeleton as passenger in carpool lane

Bryan Stime admits he was frustrated by his daily drive. “It’s a heck of a commute,” says the Edgewood man about his commute to Lynnwood. He grew frustrated at watching people in the HOV lane pass him over and over again. “Since my commute was so bad, I started thinking,” says Stime, “Blow up doll, Mannequin?”

He took home a skeleton in a sweatshirt, and the rest was history. “I had to see if it could be my carpool buddy,” says Stime, who admits using it up until he was pulled over on December 20th for aggressive driving. The Washington State Patrol said Stime's silver Mazda was going 82 mph on northbound I-5 near S. 272nd Street during the morning commute on Dec. 20.



Stime was allegedly making unsafe lane changes, including driving in the HOV lane. When troopers stopped the driver, they found the fake passenger wearing a seat belt. The trooper said, “Are you kidding me? No officer, I’m not kidding,” said Stime. “He pretty much told me congratulations, you’re gonna get your picture taken.”

The trooper snapped the photo of the belted skeleton, and “gave me a learning” says Stime, who was handed a $454 dollar ticket. The HOV violation was $124 alone. Stime was ticketed for speeding, unsafe lane change and driving solo in the HOV lane.

With news video.