12-year-old Chinese boy caught after 6-hour highway joyride, claims dwarfism when stopped

A 12-year-old boy from southern China was detained after driving solo for six hours on the highway, claiming to have adult dwarfism, which shocked social media.The boy, surnamed Luo and hailing from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was discovered by a highway toll collector on June 15 due to his unusually short stature.He insisted he was an adult with dwarfism, but the toll collector was sceptical and contacted the police.Upon investigation, the police determined that he was merely a child and was ineligible for a driving licence under Chinese law.Luo maintained he was an adult with dwarfism when a toll collector alerted the police. Photo: Guilin Traffic PoliceInitially, Luo falsely claimed he was driving his aunt’s car to his grandmother’s home. However, when the police reached out to his father, they learned that he was unaware his son could drive.Moreover, the car actually belonged to Luo’s neighbour, who only realised it was missing when the police notified him.To everyone’s astonishment, Luo had already driven for over six hours when he was stopped. He was also wearing slippers, a violation of road safety regulations.Having stolen his neighbour’s car key, he left home around 4am that day and entered the highway 45 minutes later.For the next six hours, he drove unnoticed by highway staff.During his six-hour escapade, Luo covered hundreds of kilometres without detection by highway authorities. Photo: Xinhua News Agency/Zhang AilinHe was only caught when he ran out of cash from his red packet lucky money, which he had used to pay the toll fee.Further ReadingLuo explained to the police that he and his friends had taught themselves to drive for thrills and that he had previously driven on public roads alone.Traffic police emphasised that this incident was extremely dangerous, posing a significant risk to road safety.They summoned the boy’s guardian and the car’s owner to the station, educating Luo about traffic safety laws and the dangers of minors driving.They also issued warnings to his guardian, criticising them for neglecting their child.Police summoned the boy’s guardian and the car’s owner, above, educating Luo about traffic safety laws and the hazards of underage driving. Warnings were also issued to the guardian for neglecting their child. Photo: Guilin Traffic PoliceAuthorities urged them to take their guardianship responsibilities seriously and to provide traffic safety and legal awareness education for Luo.They further advised the neighbour on how to properly secure the keys to his vehicle.The police noted that traffic safety education for minors is a vital aspect of family education.“This is extremely dangerous. He could have caused an accident, endangering others’ lives while escaping much legal responsibility,” commented an online observer.“If he had caused any trouble while driving, the car’s owner would also have faced liability. Poor neighbour,” added another.