5-year-old kid riding bike as car approaches sparks furious debate on social media | Watch

A video of a 5-year-old riding a bicycle to school in the United Kingdom has come to light and has spurred a social media storm. The clip, which seems to have been recorded through a helmet camera, displays a child in a bright orange attire cycling on the road. A few seconds into the video, a blue car is seen passing by the young cyclist on the road, which appears rather narrow due to parked vehicles on both sides. The clip has initiated a debate on social media, with users bickering over who is at fault- the child, the driver of the blue vehicle, or ultimately, the father of the young cyclist.

The video, which was uploaded on Twitter on Thursday by Twitter handle @JeremyVineOn5, has garnered over 1.4 million views so far and over 600 comments. Some users have blamed the father for the negligence, with one Twitter account pointing out the pavement at the corner of the road which can be used for cycling. “There’s a cycle lane to bypass this literally to the left of it. That’s what the father should have shown his son,” the user said. 

Who is at fault? Internet is divided

Holding the father accountable, a user wrote: “The dad…yes he is watching his child but I’m sorry, you completely disregard the pavement rule & make your child cycle on the pavement & you cycle next to them - their little bodies will not handle even the most minute hit… teach them cycling on roads when they’re older!”

Other users blamed the driver of the vehicle, and said that “the obstruction was on the driver's side they should have stopped and waited," adding that "this happens daily makes me so angry.” Another user emphasised that instead of restricting minors from riding on residential streets, adult drivers should not be allowed to violate the highway code. “So it's your view that children shouldn't be allowed to cycle on residential streets and that drivers should be able to disregard the highway code (and common decency),” the user said. 

Meanwhile, one user claimed that both the car’s driver and the child were in the wrong. “I wouldn't want my 5-year-old on the road tbh. However, I was taught to give way to oncoming traffic if other cars were parked on my side of the road.  So in that sense , the car is in the wrong. But should the child be in the middle of the road,” the user wrote.