SHOCKING video shows the moment a little boy comes within inches of being knocked down after he sprints into the road from between parked cars.
The boy, thought to be aged about four or five, escaped serious injury or worse thanks to the rapid reactions of driver Philip Owens.
Philip was driving in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, when the youngster ran at full tilt into the road without slowing down or checking for traffic.
Philip, from South Shields, posted the clip to social media with the caption: “Always stay alert.”
The clip begins with him turning left onto a residential street as a pedestrian wearing a hi-vis jacket waits to cross on the corner.
The car then continues driving up the road as the boy can be glimpsed running out of a door from a house on the left hand side.
The youngster sprints straight out into the road in front of Philip, who is quick enough to react and brake in time.
A black car is approaching from the other end of the street, and would have had the same scenario to deal with if they were just seconds earlier.
Philip said today: “I was lucky to brake in time and it is a good job I did as only a split second later and it could have been a different story.”
Online, social media users reacted to the scarily close near miss.
Dean Birch wrote: “F*****g hell man. Heart’s in my mouth just watching it.”
Sheila McCourt said: “Where the hell is the mam or dad?”
Neal Pannett wrote: “Green Cross code! A lot of kids have zero road sense and it’s the parents fault!”
Louise Conquer commented: “Silly child” while Joey Cooper wrote: “The kid hopefully won’t do it twice.
Philip was also commended for his safe driving.
Simon Dawson wrote: “Lucky lad that’s all I can say. Very good reactions.”
Russell Smith said: “Nice reaction. Half a second later, it could have been a different result.”
Andy Brown commented: “Well done, good careful driving.”
Footage emerged yesterday of an incident on Saturday in which a little girl was saved by her father after wandering into the road.
The toddler followed her dad out to his van on the street in Okehampton, Devon, and into the path of a car which was forced to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting her.
In December, horrifying dashcam footage showed the moment a child run out in front of traffic and was hit by one car and sent into the path of another.
Amazingly, the youngster survived with only minor injuries from the incident in Nottingham.
