Police stunned after finding five-year-old boy at the wheel of 'erratic' car

What police initially thought was a drunk driver swerving across lanes on a busy road, turned out to be a five-year-old boy who could barely see over the steering wheel or reach the pedals with his feet.

The child reportedly took the keys to his mum’s car and set off from their home in the US state of Utah with the intention of driving to California to buy himself a Lamborghini with less than $5 in his wallet, according to news site KSL.

A Utah Highway Patrol officer spotted the vehicle driving about 50km/h on a freeway and pulled it over about 12.15pm thinking there was likely an impaired person behind the wheel, the publication reported.

“He was sitting on the front edge of the seat so that he could reach the brake pedal to keep the car stopped while I was standing there,” policeman Rick Morgan, who pulled the boy over, said.

“I helped him get the car into park, shut the vehicle down and then we started to look for means to contact his parents.”

After speaking with the boy’s family, it was discovered he had driven just five minutes from his home while his parents were both at work, and while a sibling was supposed to be supervising him.

Dashcam footage captured by the police vehicle showed the white SUV swerve across multiple lanes before being signalled to pull over.

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Police shared an image of the boy inside the car to Twitter, explaining that he had earlier been in an argument with his mum because she would not buy him a Lamborghini.

“He decided he'd take the car and go to California to buy one himself. He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 ($4.70) in his wallet,” the post read.

No one was hurt and no property was damaged, however the boy’s parents may still face charges, according to KSL.

Police took the opportunity to urge parents to ensure car keys were kept out of reach of their children.

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