NEW YORK -- Plastic cutouts don't cut it on the carpool lane.

Driver Caught Using Dummy To Travel In Fast Lane

Deputy Sheriff Robert Howard was patrolling the Long Island Expressway during the morning rush hour on Tuesday when something in the passenger seat of a Ford Explorer caught his eye: A Plexiglas person.

The deputy stopped the vehicle in the westbound lanes near exit 53 and told the driver he needed a human passenger to use the carpool lane.

The deputy said the driver responded, "It's never been a problem before, I've had him with me for over a year."

The operator was issued a summons for violation of the carpool lane.

Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco said in a statement, "It's a shame when our hardworking commuters are inconvenienced by someone trying to beat the system."