Armless man fined for driving without licence

Beijing -

A Chinese man with no arms clocked up 160 000 kilometres of driving with his feet - but no licence - before he was stopped by police on a motorway, media reported on Thursday.

“During an investigation, (police) discovered a man wearing a short sleeve T-shirt with empty

sleeves, with his left leg controlling the steering wheel,” news website Jingchuwang said.

The 45-year-old, surnamed Guo, was apprehended on a motorway in the central province of Hubei, the report said.

“Police immediately requested him to get out of the car, and saw the driver use his big toe and second toe on his right foot to put the gearstick into neutral, before using his right foot to turn the key,” it added.

“It was quite a skilled action.”

Guo lost his arms as a seven-year-old in the countryside, when he came into contact with a high voltage power line, the report added.

He learned to use his feet to write, brush his teeth and wash his face, and took only one week to learn how to drive a car, the news portal said.

He had driven the car for 160 000 kilometres without a licence before he was apprehended by police in his home town of Xiantou.

“Regrettably, according to Chinese regulations, he is not allowed to apply for a licence,” the report added.

The man was fined 500 yuan ($80) and ordered to attend “education”, it said, adding that drivers without licences commonly receive a fine of 2 000 yuan and 15 days in detention.

Last month, a man with no arms below the elbow was stopped by police for driving a lorry in neighbouring Hunan, and in 2008 a man with no arms was found driving an SUV with his feet. - Sapa-AFP