Wah, this is unbelievable!
A couple from Hubei, China recently shared a video of their six-year-old daughter driving the family car on the road. The video has since gone viral online with netizens criticising the couple’s irresponsible actions.
In the video, the child was seen sitting on her mother’s lap, head barely visible above the steering wheel, steering the car through a narrow road. Her father, on the other hand, was seated in the passenger seat filming the incident.
When the car reached a damaged bridge, the girl got nervous and told her father to take over driving. Her father, however, encouraged her to continue driving slowly.
Her father later praised the child, saying,
“This road is so narrow and you are still able to handle it, you would definitely be able to drive on the highway! You are awesome. You managed to drive from the street to here.”
Source: South China Morning Post
According to The Beijing News, as quoted in South China Morning Post, the couple was called into a local police station a few days later for questioning.
The girl’s mother, identified as Ge, said she was driving along the narrow road through a village in Xianning, Hubei Province when her daughter crawled onto her lap. Her husband, Yu, then suggested allowing their daughter to drive the car for a while. Ge said her daughter was only steering for about a minute. She acknowledged that they should not have allowed this.
“I feel regret,” she said.
Source: South China Morning Post
Yu also expressed his remorse over the incident, saying that they should have paid attention to their daughter’s safety, and not put other people’s lives in danger.
“I thought it was fun so I shot the video and shared it with our family. I didn’t expect the video would be further distributed and get such a negative response.”
The couple was fined 2,000 yuan (approximately RM1,188), and Ge had her driving licence suspended.
Parents should understand that their actions have a direct influence on their children. Allowing a child to drive on the road is not only a serious offence, but also an irresponsible act that could put your child and other road users’ safety in jeopardy!
Also read: Police Advise M’sians to Stop ‘Keke Challenge’ on Roads As It can Endanger Others
