Nine-year-old Australian boy allegedly caught driving car at 1.30am on major highway | New South Wales

A nine-year-old boy was allegedly caught driving after 1am on a major highway in New South Wales.

NSW police claimed on Monday that the 45-year-old driver was experiencing “serious fatigue” while driving on his lap and “put the pedals to work”.

Police allege that at 1.35am on Saturday, March 7, the car was traveling on the Great Western Highway at Mount Lambie, about 160km west of Sydney, when a seatbelt detection camera captured the “unrestrained child” sitting on the man’s lap.

Following investigations, officers went to the man’s home in Lightning Ridge on Wednesday, March 11, and spoke to him.

He was issued a court summons and charged with four counts, including careless or angry driving or driving at a dangerous speed or manner, negligent driving, driving without proper control of the vehicle, and driving with a passenger seatbelt or safety belt not properly fastened.

“Police will allege that the man was pedaling under severe fatigue while a nine-year-old boy steered the vehicle,” police said.

The man is expected to appear in Walgett local court on Tuesday, April 28. NSW police reported the incident to the Department of Communities and Justice.

In 2017, a 12-year-old boy was stopped by police while trying to cross Australia alone, having traveled 1,300 km.

The boy was driving his family’s car towards Perth when he was pulled over by highway patrol officers at Broken Hill in western NSW after being involved in a crash.