As a child, Ronnie Hjertstedt, who lives in Gränna and works in Ödeshög, never thought he would one day drive a go-kart on the highway.
– It’s such a feeling of freedom. The funnest thing is that everyone looks at one, he says.
“Ignorance from the police”
But it is not only passers-by who notice him – but also the police. He says that he has been stopped by police officers who at first thought that what he was doing was illegal. But Ronnie’s vehicle is inspected and he always has the papers with him.
– I think it is due to ignorance on the part of the police. All police officers may not be trained in more thorough vehicle checks like we at the traffic police. But if I had seen it on the freeway, I would have stopped it too and done a check. We stop to make sure everything goes right, says Andreas Englund at the traffic police in Norrköping.
The police in Jönköping posed for a picture with the go-kart. Photo: Marie Walter/SVT
Fully equipped
Ronnie’s go-kart is equipped with a seat belt, brake lights, handbrake, license plate and can drive up to 85 kilometers per hour.
– It feels so fast and you feel small when you drive on the motorway and trucks overtake you, says Ronnie Hjertstedt.
Although Ronnie is not doing anything illegal driving the go-kart around, the traffic police see some risks in driving such a small vehicle on the highway.
– The risk is that it is more unprotected than a car. I wouldn’t want to go with one like that, but if you think it’s fun, you can do it, as long as it’s approved, says Andreas Englund.
Watch Ronnie go around on his go-kart in the video above.