A BRITISH motorist has been charged with reckless driving after travelling 17 kilometres on the wrong side of a Costa Blanca motorway.
The 76-year-old man was first spotted travelling along the AP-7 close to San Miguel de Salinas in the Vega Baja region.
He travelled north on the southbound carriageway for around 20 minutes- ignoring efforts by Guardia Civil patrols to get him to pull over.
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He exited the motorway at the CV-912 exit for Almoradi and Dolores, where he was intercepted by the Guardia Civil.
The incident happened on October 18 but details were only released on Thursday.
He tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
It’s not been revealed whether he was a local resident or a tourist.
The AP-7 concession holder Ansur contacted authorities at 10.45pm about the errant motorist.
Road users fearing for their lives phoned the 112 emergency number to report the ‘kamikaze’ driver.
Guardia patrols from Orihuela and Torrevieja were despatched to stop the elderly Brit’s journey and to prevent a head-on smash with southbound carriageway motorists.
At around 11pm, patrol vehicles located him and used flashing lights and sound to get him to pull over- to no avail.
They also made appeals through loudspeakers, but the man would not stop and continued on his merry way.
Several motorists had to take evasive action as he continued northwards before the Guardia Civil arrested him on the CV-912.
The Guardia has emphasised the importance of always exercising extreme caution while driving and to follow road signs- especially at highway entrances and exits- to avoid a similar situation which could have had fatal consequences.
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