Toy car Photo: screenshot of a footage from an onlooker's dashcam

On June 15, a shocking scene unfolded at a busy intersection in downtown Shanghai, with two adults and a child, suspected to be a family of three, riding a toy electric car and crossing a zebra crossing on a busy road. 

The video captured by a netizen quickly spread on social media, with many netizens expressing concern about the dangerous behavior, the Xinmin Evening News reported on Monday.

The footage from an onlooker's dashcam showed the two adults and a child riding a toy electric car along the sidewalk from east to west on Fuxing West Road. As they reached the intersection of Wukang Road, the toy car veered off the sidewalk and crossed the intersection from east to west. The vehicle then continued westward along the sidewalk on Fuxing West Road, disappearing from the dashcam's view.

Most netizens who saw the video were quick to condemn it, emphasizing the potential dangers of such actions. 

"Having three people squeezed into such a small space is extremely risky. What if there was a collision?" one netizen commented. Another pointed out that as parents, knowingly engaging in such behavior and putting their child at risk was reckless, and highly irresponsible.

According to the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, "motor vehicles" are defined as wheeled vehicles driven by power devices for transporting passengers or goods on roads, while "non-motor vehicles" are vehicles driven by human or animal power on roads. Children's toy cars do not fall into either category and are generally only suitable for use in closed residential areas or indoor venues.

Furthermore, vehicles must be registered and licensed by the traffic police department before they can be driven on the road. Despite being equipped with brakes and safety features, children's electric toy cars are often low to the ground and can cause safety hazards on the road. 

These vehicles are often overlooked in a driver's blind spot, increasing the risk of an accident, a driver surnamed Yin with 15 years of experience was quoted by the Xinmin Evening News as saying. Yin urged all residents to abide by traffic laws and travel safely for their own and others' well-being.

Global Times