Police in Sumter County, South Carolina has flagged an unlikely traffic offender. A 2-year-old boy had been driving his battery operated BMW toy car on the streets at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11 when the police took him in. It is alleged that the toddler left his house as his parents were sound asleep. The incident has brought to light the importance of toddler safety issues, particularly childproofing one's house.
Yahoo News reports that the 2-year-old was still in his diapers and sweat pants when he drove his BMW x6 toy car in the dark. Some locals noticed the car, which is featured with tail lights and rims, so they notified the police. Authorities was able to reach the boy before he was almost on the main road.
Ken Bell of the Sumter County police told reporters that the toddler was more confused, than frightened, when he was taken in. He was then turned over to Department of Social Services, while the police searched the boy's house to notify his parents.
Following the track marks, the police was able to locate the boy's residence and was able to talk to his mom and dad. The authorities believe that no wrongdoing was intended. The child was subsequently returned to his parents without any cases filed against them. "This appears to be simply a case of an industrious 2-year-old slipping out in the middle of the night," said Bell, as per WCBD News.
Though this incident ended well, it could have gone wrong in an instant as the boy could have been harmed. Thus, the police hopes that parents, especially those with small children, will take away a valuable lesson from this.
"Be sure [to have] have child locks on your door where they can't reach it or a chain where they can't open the door," advised Major Allen Dailey of the Sumter police via WBRC. For other tips on childproofing the house for toddlers, watch this video below.
