Wrong-way driver travels 47 km

TOON, Ehime Prefecture--A disoriented driver drove his car in the wrong lane of the Matsuyama Expressway for about 47 kilometers Tuesday, causing one vehicle to crash into a roadside marker, injuring the motorist, police said.

Police will send papers to prosecutors recommending the 68-year-old retired man from Ozu in the prefecture be charged with negligent driving resulting in slight injury.

The driver said he noticed he was in the wrong lane soon after entering the Kawauchi Interchange in Kawauchi but "panicked" and continued on.(IHT/Asahi: August 6,2009)