Cardboard ‘Most Interesting Man’ fails as carpool-lane ruse

FIFE, Wash. – A Washington State Patrol trooper says it’s by far the best carpool scam he’s seen, but it didn’t work.

As KOMO-TV put it, “Troopers don’t always stop people in the HOV lanes, but when they do, they prefer ‘dos’ passengers.”

A motorcycle trooper parked along Interstate 5 near Tacoma on Monday afternoon spotted a driver and a rather unusual “passenger” pass by him in the carpool lane.

When the trooper stopped the car, he discovered the “passenger” was a cardboard cutout of the actor who portrays “The Most Interesting Man in the World” in Dos Equis beer ads.

The driver’s response? “He’s my best friend.”

The Most Interesting Man was not confiscated, but the driver was told not to use him again.

Channeling the cardboard cutout, the State Patrol tweeted: “I don’t always violate the HOV lane law … but when I do, I get a $124 ticket.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2015 at 7:25 AM with the headline "Cardboard ‘Most Interesting Man’ fails as carpool-lane ruse."