Wheelchair Driver Pulled Over on Autobahn


(Berlin, Germany) A 96-year-old pensioner, Ludwig M., was pulled over by police yesterday afternoon for driving his wheelchair on the autobahn. He left his retirement home to get some flowers.

The pensioner Ludwig M. went rolling down the Berlin highway in his "Nevada"-model electric wheelchair, which travels at a top-speed of 15 kilometres per hour, the paper [tabloid daily B.Z.] reported. He travelled more than 4 kilometres over cobblestones and asphalt in heavy traffic to reach the flower shop on Tuesday, but ended up on the autobahn when he made a wrong turn on his way home.

"I just wanted to get some flowers for my apartment," he told B.Z. "But I didn't want to take the Autobahn."

Police stopped Ludwig M. around 2 pm as he made his way back home with flowers after he realized he'd taken a wrong turn and tried to negotiate his wheelchair between cars stuck in thick traffic before ending up on a highway to Königs Wusterhausen in the neighbouring German state of Brandenburg.

Police took Ludwig home without writing a ticket.