Kassel (dpa/lhe) – In a traffic jam after a motorway was closed, a drunk driver drove through an emergency lane and was stopped by the police. First of all, a car caught fire on Monday evening on the A44 near Kassel due to a technical defect, as the police in Kassel announced on Tuesday. During the extinguishing and salvage work, the highway was temporarily closed, and according to the police, a traffic jam formed. A man then drove his car into the rescue lane formed there.

The 36-year-old only rejoined the column when, according to the information, he saw a police car with the flashing lights on just in front of the scene of the fire. When the police officers checked the man, they noticed the smell of alcohol and found 2.1 per thousand in a breath alcohol test. His driver’s license was secured and his car was towed away. In addition, according to the police, the man was initially taken into police custody to sober up.