German police pull over drunk e-scooter driver on autobahn

A 27-year-old man was stopped by police in the western German city of Cologne on Thursday after he rode an electric scooter onto the autobahn.

Authorities received numerous calls from concerned drivers around 2:20 a.m. (0120 GMT), saying that a man was driving an e-scooter on the shoulder of the A4 highway.

"The police located the man within a few minutes and put an end to a dangerous situation," Cologne police said in a statement.

A blood test showed the man was inebriated, with an alcohol level of 1.3 promille — more than twice the legal limit for car drivers.

Read more: Electric scooters' rollout off to a bumpy start in Germany

News agency DPA reported that the man was carrying a bottle of beer when he was stopped by police, although Cologne authorities made no mention of the find in their statement.

The man now faces a drunk driving charge. Those caught riding e-scooters while intoxicated in Germany risk losing their drivers' license.

E-scooters, which are limited to 20 kilometers (12 miles) per hour in Germany, are not permitted on autobahns.

Since they were given the regulatory green-light in June this year, electric scooters have continuously made headlines in Germany — particularly with cases involving drunk drivers and other inappropriate riding habits. Even Thursday's incident was not the first of its kind on an autobahn.

rs/msh  (dpa, AFP)

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