Two semi-trailer trucks form a roadblock on the Gyeongbu Expressway to prevent accidents on Tuesday. (Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency)
A taxi driver was caught after driving 37 kilometers on the wrong side of an expressway, saying that he turned the car around because his passenger said he had been going the wrong way, local police said Wednesday.
According to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, the 65-year-old driver is being investigated on the charge of violating the Road Traffic Act at the Gyeongsan Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province. The suspect's car had been on the Seoul-bound side of the Gyeongbu Expressway when it turned around at 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday and started driving towards Busan -- while still on the Seoul-bound side.
Drivers of two semi-trailer trucks formed a road block on the expressway while the highway patrol officers chased down the taxi and stopped the vehicle, putting an end to the driver's 22-minute run.
"The passenger told me it was the wrong way, so I turned the car around and headed toward Busan," the driver was quoted as saying by the police. Officers said they did not find evidence to believe that he had been intoxicated by alcohol or drugs at the time.
The police plan to present a certificate of appreciation to the drivers of the two trucks who helped stop the taxi driver, along with the person who first reported the incident to the police.
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