Police stop 12-year-old boy from driving across Australia

SYDNEY, Australia – Outback police have arrested a 12-year-old boy who was almost a third of his way toward driving solo across Australia.

The unlicensed boy had driven more than 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from his home in Kendall on the east coast when he was stopped by traffic police on Saturday on the Barrier Highway near the remote mining town of Broken Hill.

He was pulled over because a bumper bar was dragging on the road, a police statement said Sunday.

Police said he was driving to the west coast city of Perth, more than 4,100 kilometres (2,500 miles) from Kendall.

Police have released no details on why the boy wanted to drive the Perth, whether he would be charged or whether he had refuelled during his journey.