UPDATE: Father who videotaped son driving explains his actions
The YouTube video shows a seven-year-old boy behind the wheel of his family’s Honda CRV—speeding down the road while his father, shouting words of encouragement, films him from the passenger’s seat. Tuesday, after Quebec provincial police said that they were investigating the footage, the boy’s father came forward to state his case. The road was empty and “very wide”—so “there was no danger,” explained the father, Sylvain, whose family name has not been released. Adds Sylvain, “I was proud of my boy because he was able to drive.” The home video captures the young boy driving at speeds up to 70 km/h (although Sylvain now claims the boy was only travelling at 40). It also shows the boy’s mother and two young siblings sitting the back—none of the car’s passengers appear to be wearing seatbelts. The video, posted Friday, was apparently shot two years ago.