Nine-year-old steers Audi Q7 through Marseille – father arrested
In Marseille, a nine-year-old sat at the steering wheel of a luxury SUV while his father held the wheel. The 53-year-old Romanian was arrested.
Child at the wheel: father lets son drive Audi Q7 through busy Marseille street
French police stopped a black Audi Q7 on Avenue du Prado in Marseille on Friday evening last week, which was driving dangerously in swerving lines and narrowly missed several parked vehicles. As 20 Minuten reports, at the steering wheel sat not an adult, but a nine-year-old child.
When a motorcycle patrol pulled over the off-road vehicle with Romanian registration plates, the extent of the situation became apparent: according to France 3, the boy was not wearing a seatbelt. Because he was too small to reach the pedals, he had to slide far forward on the seat in order to operate the accelerator and brake.
The father held the steering wheel with one hand. Additionally, a second child was sitting on his lap, as La Provence reports. The 53-year-old Romanian national was arrested immediately; the two children were handed over to their mother.
The man faces several penalties. Merely for putting his son behind the wheel, a fine of up to 3,000 euros can be imposed according to France 3. An additional penalty is expected due to the unsecured child on his lap.
A police officer involved explained to La Provence: "We prevented something worse." The boy's driving manner could have caused a serious collision on the heavily travelled street.
Source: 20 Minuten