TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A British man was fined for riding a scooter through the Hsuehshan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in Taiwan, on Friday (Sept. 1).

At around 7 p.m. on Friday, a 31-year-old British national was riding a scooter with a friend in the back seat in Yilan County on their way to Keelung City, reported Liberty Times. He mistakenly entered National Freeway 5 at the Yilan Interchange, continued northwards without exiting at Toucheng Township, and eventually rode through the Hsuehshan Tunnel.

After receiving the infraction notification, the Ninth Police Brigade of the National Highway Police Bureau immediately dispatched officers to stop the scooter and issue a ticket. The rider said that they were heading to Keelung City but mistakenly got on the highway due to an incorrect GPS navigation setting.

A member of the Facebook group Yilan Knowlege+ (宜蘭知識+), surnamed Chen (陳), posted a video of the pair riding in the Hsuehshan Tunnel that same day. Chen wrote that she "marveled at encountering a scooter for the first time while traveling northbound in the Hsuehshan Tunnel."

Police said that if scooter riders mistakenly enter national highways, which are off-limits to scooters, they could be fined between NT$3,000 (US$93) and NT$6,000 for breaching the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). It advised motorists to pay attention to road signs and markings and accurately configure navigation settings.

If a scooter rider accidentally gets on a national highway, they are advised to immediately pull over onto the shoulder of the road and call 1968 or 110 for help. If passersby notice such a situation, they can also dial 1968 or 110 to notify authorities.