SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — The California Highway Patrol issued a citation after troopers stopped a commercial vehicle in the Tracy area and found a front-seat passenger using a lawn chair instead of the manufacturer-installed seat, according to CHP’s Tracy Division.

CHP said the traffic stop occurred on Jan. 24, 2026, at the intersection of 11th Street and Grant Line Road. Troopers reported the right-front passenger was seated in a folding lawn chair and was not wearing a seatbelt.

The passenger was cited for violating California Vehicle Code 27315(e), which requires passengers 16 and older to be properly restrained by a seatbelt (with an exception for passengers in a sleeper berth).

CHP warned that using non-standard seating inside a moving vehicle can be especially dangerous in a crash.

“This might look like a creative seating solution, but using anything other than the manufacturer-installed seat while driving could be a serious safety risk,” CHP said, noting vehicle seats are designed to work with seatbelts, airbags and crash forces — unlike a folding chair.

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