10-year-old child takes grandmother's car for 85 Km drive

June 12, 2006 Police in the Australian state of New South Wales have reported that they pulled over a 10 year-old child driving his grandmother's car along the Newell Highway in North-Western NSW on Sunday.

According to police, they received numerous calls around 12:30 p.m. AEST on Sunday from truck drivers who were concerned that two children appeared to be alone in a red Holden Commodore station wagon, one of which was driving along the busy highway. The Newell Highway is the primary road transport route between Melbourne and Brisbane.

Moree police dispatched a highway patrol unit that located the vehicle 35 km North of Moree.

When signalled by police, the 10-year-old driver pulled over and got out of the vehicle with his six-year-old brother to speak to police. They told police that they were with their grandmother in Boggabilla when they decided to visit their grandfather in Moree, 120 km South. The children said they had taken their grandmother's car to make the trip. When pulled over by police, they had travelled around 85 km.

Sergeant Matt Clifford said "They appeared to be driving normally … certainly better than probably some other people on that road".

Police drove the vehicle to the children's grandparents' home in Moree where the children were returned to their grandparents.