Police said the 28-year-old electric-scooter rider was following the route on his navigation device when he ended up on the A46 road in the western German state of North-Rhine Westphalia. 

His unusual journey started on Monday afternoon at Erkelenz station, southwest of Düsseldorf. After becoming frustrated because there was no sign of his train, the man decided to take matters into his own hands.

“He used the navigation function of his mobile phone and was guided to the Autobahn by it,” police said. 

The man drove the e-scooter onto the A46 at the Erkelenz-Süd junction. Only vehicles capable of driving more than 60 kilometres per hour are allowed on Germany's highways. Electric scooters can drive up to 20 km/per hour.

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Two car drivers spotted the man who was on the hard shoulder and escorted him to safety.

One drove in front of the e-scooter with the car's hazard warning lights switched on, while the other secured the rear. 

At the next junction – Hückelhoven-West – they led him off the motorway. The 28-year-old was met by the police there, who filed a report against him.

The man and his e-scooter covered about seven km in total on the A46.

Debate over safety

The drivers who recognized the man was in danger have been praised for their swift action in getting him – and his e-scooter – off the Autobahn.

“These two drivers handled the situation very well,” police told regional newspaper the Rheinische Post.

E-scooters have been appearing on streets across Germany since the government gave them the green light in May.

However, there has been fierce debate over how safe the battery-powered vehicles are.

Last Thursday, an e-scooter collided with a truck in central Berlin – the capital's first serious road accident involving the vehicle.

The 26-year-old electric scooter rider was seriously injured in the incident that happened near Friedrichstraße.