Baby Toddler Filmed Driving a Moving Car in S’pore; Netizens are not Amused

Netizens have expressed outrage over a video posted on the Facebook group “Complaint Singapore,” which showed a toddler “driving” a moving car while his mother filmed the incident. 

The mother had filmed the toddler as he “manoeuvred” the vehicle’s steering wheel and appeared not to take the situation too seriously, captioning the video with “youngest driver in Singapore”.

The vehicle appeared to be moving, even when the toddler was visibly too short to “drive” the vehicle, with his feet not even reaching the pedals.

Fortunately, the vehicle stopped at what seemed like a traffic light before any further harm occurred.

Video Filming Toddler Driving Draws Ire from Netizens

The video, which is only 14 seconds long, was shared on the Facebook group “Complaint Singapore” on 9 May 2023 and has amassed over 29,000 views so far.

While the mother who captured the incident may have found it amusing enough to upload onto her Instagram stories, the same cannot be said for the netizens who commented on the Facebook post.

Aside from the obvious fact that minors below 18 years old are not permitted to drive under Singaporean law, some netizens also pointed out that the act was potentially dangerous since the toddler was not seen wearing a seatbelt.

A minor bump on the steering wheel could cause the airbag to go off in the toddler’s face, which could be life-threatening.

Moreover, while the car seemed to have some self-driving capabilities, the toddler could still grab the steering wheel unexpectedly, causing the vehicle to swerve suddenly and putting everyone’s safety at risk.

Several netizens suggested that the parents should be held accountable for this reckless behaviour involving their child.

Some commented that they should receive demerit points under the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS) and get their license revoked by the Traffic Police (TP).

Under the DIPS system, an individual’s driving license must be revoked if they accumulate 24 or more demerit points within 24 months.

Not The First Time This Happened

Despite these laws, a similar act was captured on the Facebook Group “SG Vigilante” just last year on 27 May 2022.

The Instagram story, which shows a young boy steering a BMW car while driving along Goodman Road in the Katong area, was uploaded to the group. 

Netizens promptly criticised the couple, who allowed what appeared to be their son to “drive” their BMW car.

While the adult driver’s hands were seen holding onto the boy’s hands at times, there were moments when this was not the case. 

The couple displayed the same nonchalant attitude as the previous incident, joking about the situation and praising the boy for being a “good driver.”