Drivers in New Zealand’s largest city of Auckland are turning to inflatable passengers to try and beat transit lane rules. Blow-up dolls, shop mannequins and dogs dressed up as children have all been used to try and justify driving in lanes where vehicles are required to have at least three occupants.
Drivers caught trying to beat the system are fined NZ$150 ($114).
For a while some enterprising students charged a small fee to get driven past the enforcement officers, before running back up the road to repeat the trick. “The money they generated from that was not enough to pay for the beer for the thirst they generated,” Dannhauser said.
