Shocking footage obtained by Newshub shows a toddler driving a car across lanes in Whangarei on Sunday night.
The footage was posted to the child's mother's Instagram Story, and a person who wishes to remain anonymous told Newshub they were shocked when they saw it.
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"I just think it's so brainless and stupid and not cool at all," they said.
The child is just three years-old, and the video shows him sitting on the lap of a male driver and steering the car.
The car veers across into another lane before the driver grabs the steering wheel to direct it straight, then lets go, again giving steering control to the child.
The video is captioned "Drove me to KFC". It also appears that the child is not wearing a seatbelt.
Police told Newshub the actions are dangerous and could have led to a serious accident.
"Wearing your seatbelt and making sure your children are properly restrained will keep you and your children safe, as even a low-speed impact can cause to great deal of harm to an unrestrained child," a spokesperson told Newshub.
"Keeping children restrained at all times when they are travelling in a vehicle also reduces the risk of the driver getting distracted, which could potentially pose a risk to the safety of other road users."
It's not the first time dangerous driving like this has been seen in New Zealand.
In January, a toddler was seen on Auckland's southern motorway steering a car, prompting outrage from the community.
Newshub.
