A 30-year-old man named Jake Douglas Smith has appeared in court facing reckless driving charges after a video surfaced on social media showing him allowing a toddler to steer his car while sitting unrestrained on his lap. The incident took place in Alkimos, Perth, on September 11, where the child seemingly had control of the steering wheel. Smith was arrested the following day in Morley.
In the video, the toddler can be seen driving the car through a residential area, which ultimately mounts a curb and stops on a front lawn. Smith is heard exclaiming, “say hello, yeah I did it, a three-year-old driving the car!” The video was captioned: “3 year old driving a Hilux what a legend.”
During his court appearance at the Joondalup Magistrates Court, Smith represented himself and requested an adjournment. The prosecution noted that he was under a conditional suspended imprisonment order. Smith’s bail has been extended until his next hearing later this month. When approached by reporters, he seemed unsure if he had uploaded the video to social media.
