Carpool Driver Caught with Elaborately Disguised Mannequin as Passenger

Two heads are better than one -- and, absolutely necessary to ride in the carpool lane -- but ya gotta make sure those heads are flesh and bone ... and not plastic, like this one was.

One driver learned that lesson the hard way in Santa Fe Springs, CA -- a suburb in L.A. County about 12 miles southeast of Downtown L.A. -- when a California Highway Patrol officer pulled them over ... and discovered a dressed-up mannequin in the passenger seat.

CLICK TO SEE THE MANNEQUIN

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CHP Santa Fe Springs posted a pic of the plastic dummy Thursday to Instagram ... and, we gotta hand it to the driver -- it's pretty dang lifelike, especially from a distance.

Not so much up close though ... which is what the CHP officer noticed when he pulled them over. The driver got busted for crossing over solid double lines on the freeway ... and when the officer took a closer look, he noticed the dude was actually in the car by himself.

The CHP account joked the mannequin's goatee was a little TOO sharp -- and warned others not to try the same trick ... because perpetrators will be caught and punished.

Despite the good-natured ribbing, CHP says its officer hit the driver with multiple citations for the incident ... so, probably not worth attempting to smuggle a mannequin out of Macy's and into your vehicle, regardless of how convincing it may seem.

CELEBRITY COP ENCOUNTERS

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Moral of the story ... don't be a dummy and leave yours at home!!!