Viral clip of car zooming past 5-year-old child on bike stirs debate

A viral video posted by a father showing a car zoom past his 5-year-old son on a bike between parked vehicles has sparked a furious online debate about road safety. The clip – which has over 1.8million views on Twitter – also drew the attention of cycling safety campaigner Jeremy Vine.In the footage – apparently shot from the father’s headcam – the child can be seen riding along a residential road towards a stretch with some vehicles parked on either side of the road.The dad can be heard telling his son to ‘carry on’ as they pass the first van, while the car on the other side of the road has yet to pass a car.The car continues to move forward, passing the young child with approximately a foot between them as the road narrows due to the parked vehicles.The father can then be heard asking the driver: ‘You not going to stop? What are you doing?’READ MORE: Driver accused of ploughing into vigilante cyclist cleared ‘How can we expect parents to let their kids ride to school if this is how their neighbours drive?’ (Image: @azb2019) The dad can be heard telling his son to ‘carry on’ as they pass the first van (Image: @azb2019)Some argued that the driver appeared to have slowed – though this is not clear from the footage – while others thought that a 5-year-old should not be riding on the road.However, others noted points in the Highways Code, stating that the safest option was for the car to wait until the cyclist had passed the obstacles.Others noted that the motorist was hugging their side of the road in an effort to give the young child space in the narrow passage.One user commented: ‘Seriously, what’s the problem here? Looked safe to me and if that’s a close call maybe you shouldn’t take your five-year-old on the road.’ The footage has since stirred a debate between users as to whether the motorist was to blame (Image: @azb2019) Vine: ‘The child is FIVE. The driver MUST go dead slow, or stop’ (Image: PA)Perhaps the most ardent of this group is Michael van Erp, known as Cycling Mikey, who has previously caught out some famous faces, including ex-pugilist Chris Eubank and director Guy Ritchie.Last month, however, a theatrical agent who drove along 65ft of road with the viral cycling vigilante on his bonnet was cleared of assault and dangerous driving, though admitted to ignoring a Keep Left sign to make a right turn, which had originally caught Mr van Erp’s attention.According to rule 163 of the Highway Code, drivers should ‘give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road’.Another rule states: ‘In any interaction between road users, those who can cause the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they pose to others.’A new version of the Highway Code came into effect in January this year, and has prioritised the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.