‘I can drive too’: Boy, four, boasts about his ‘skills’ while behind the wheel as his sister, two, sits on the passenger seat with no safety belt
- Father said his son was sitting on his lap while driving his Toyota in China
- The boy’s sister sat next to them with her legs on dashboard and no safety belt
- Footage was filmed by the child’s mother who was sitting on the back row
- Parent has apologised to the public after being investigated by the police
A father in China has been investigated by police after letting his four-year-old son sit on his lap and drive a Toyota on the road.
His two-year-old daughter, meanwhile, was sitting on the passenger seat with no car seat or safety belt.
Footage filmed by the man’s wife from the back row shows the boy was feeling pleased with himself as he boasted ‘I can drive too’ while looking back. The father then posted the short clip onto the social media to show off his child’s ‘talent’.
A trending video shows a four-year-old Chinese boy behind the wheel while his two-year-old sister is sitting on the passenger seat with no car seat or safety belt during a family outing
Police in Beiliu, southern China’s Guangxi Province, launched an investigation into the video after it had gone viral on messaging platform WeChat last week.
The 15-second footage shows the boy looking back at one point while driving to talk to his mother.
His mother then told him ‘to drive slowly’ and his father told him ‘to look ahead’.
Beiliu Traffic Police were notified of the clip by web users who contacted them to complain about the parents’ behaviour in the video, which they thought was ‘ignorant’.
Police tracked down the family within two hours after releasing the video to the public via Chinese media in hope of collecting clues, according to an online statement from Beiliu Traffic Police.
The father, known by his surname Feng, told the police that the footage was filmed on January 3 last year and was uploaded to a group chat by him a few months ago.
According to the man, he and his family were going out on the day and the traffic was light.
Beiliu police found the children’s father, Feng (middle), after releasing the video to the public
The man said initially his wife and his two children were sitting at the back row, but he wanted to let his son experience driving, therefore he took the boy to the front row and put him on his lap.
Seeing this, his daughter also wanted to sit at the front row, so the father put her on the passenger seat.
Mr Feng explained to the police that his left hand was on the steering wheel and he was in control of the brake and accelerator throughout the time the boy was behind the wheel.
He said he was surprised that the video would become popular online.
Mr Feng was given a ‘serious oral education’ by police officers and ordered to apologise to the public for his behaviour, the police statement said.
China has the highest road deaths involving children in the world.
According to figures released by Chinese state media in 2015, more than 18,500 children under the age of 14 are killed by traffic accident every year in the country.
WHO: 260,000 people are killed on the road in China every year
Chinese police inspect a damaged truck and cars after the accident in Lanzhou, China, on November 4, which left at least 15 people killed and 44 injured
Road traffic safety remains one of the top causes of death and a sensitive social issue in China.
Approximately 260,000 people die as a result of road accidents in China each year – in comparison to 1.25 million people worldwide – according to a 2016 report from WHO.
The figure puts China, the world’s most populous nation, in the second place worldwide in terms of the number of road deaths per year – after its neighbour India.
China has the highest road deaths involving children in the world.
According to figures released by Chinese state media in 2015, more than 18,500 children under the age of 14 are killed by traffic accident every year in the country.
A lack of road disciplines, poor road conditions in rural areas, light punishment for violators, polluted air and even bystanders’ unwillingness to help victims are all potential factors.
WHO’s figure is about four times the official number released by the Chinese authority, which claimed that 63,000 people were killed on the road in 2016.
WHO also points out that of the total estimated road deaths in China, around six out of 10 are vulnerable road users including pedestrians, cyclists and people on motorcycles.