Desperate times call for desperate measures...

A good man to have around -- in the HOV lane

He's a good man to have around -- if you need to get into the high-occupancy vehicle lane.

State Police released this picture today of the mannequin a South Boston woman used as her second rider when she was driving in the high-occupancy vehicle lane on Interstate 93 south Monday morning.

An eagle-eyed State Police trooper stopped the woman near Exit 13 in Boston around 9:10 a.m. because he noticed that her passenger wasn’t a passenger at all, Trooper Thomas Murphy said Monday.

The driver’s name was not released. She was given a $35 ticket, and her mannequin -- nattily attired in a vest and button-down shirt -- was confiscated. Case closed, except for one mystery: What team beginning with a 'D' does he support?

Traffic on Interstate 93 can often be congested from Boston to Braintree. Motorists can use the much quicker HOV lane if there is more than one occupant in the vehicle.