THE moment a mother and child were almost hit by a reversing car as they crossed a busy road has been captured on CCTV.
The dramatic footage shows the car get less than a foot from the youngster, before the mum dives to punch the vehicle and alert the driver to the danger.
The mother and youngster had waited patiently for a safe moment to cross the road in Crowborough, East Sussex.
But the car – reversing to get out of the way of an HGV – catches them completely unawares.
The clip has divided opinion among viewers with many blaming the driver of the vehicle and others criticising the mother for not having full control of her child.
At the start of the clip, recorded on car park CCTV, a HGV vehicle pulls up at the side of the road, ready to reverse around the corner into the car park.
A dark green hatchback vehicle is travelling behind, and stops, prompting a mother and child to cross the street around ten metres behind it.
But to give the HGV more space, the hatchback starts reversing – whilst the pair are still in the middle of the road.
The mother is pushing a pram, and the child is not holding her hand.
As the car starts reversing it becomes clear that the child is likely to get hit, until it starts running backwards, away from the car.
The mum leans forward off her pram and slaps the side of the car hard, forcing it to stop less than a foot away from the tiny child, who barely reaches the height of the window.
After a brief stern word, the mum continues across the road with the child, to the safety of the pavement.
The video was shared online yesterday (WED) by Matthew Gallifant, who works for the company who recorded the CCTV, and it quickly started a debate.
Kyle Swann said: “I would have been shouting at the driver to watch where they are going.”
Whilst Brian Jessup added: “Only one in the wrong here is the c*** who nearly flattened that child.”
Tugwell Gibson wrote: “One easy way for the car driver to avoid reversing into someone. Before moving backwards twist in your seat and have a good look out the rear window. A quick glance in your rear view mirror is not enough.”
But others blamed the mother for her carelessness.
John Meugens said: “The pedestrian should have noticed the car and traffic and not allowed her child to run across the road like that. Who would have been at fault then?”
Jay Hinks added: “Both idiots. Why allow the kid to let go and run on his own whilst still in the middle of the road? As for the driver… mirrors?”
Sue Ryalls opined: “But what was the mum thinking letting go of her child whilst crossing a road like that.”
