Thai parents let son sit on top of moving car, say he's always been doing it

It was a sight that made drivers' blood run cold — a boy perched on top of a moving car.

The primary school pupil was on his way home when he was spotted at a busy traffic junction in Lamphun, Thailand.

"This is so dangerous, how could you allow this?" wrote a Facebook user who shared the photos on Wednesday (Sept 11).

Enraged netizens started questioning why the child was sitting on the car's roof, with one asking whether he was placed there intentionally to garner attention.

Others said they would "teach the parents a lesson" for endangering the boy.

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The child's father, who was driving the car that day, clarified that his son wanted to climb through the sunroof and had been making a fuss until he gave in.

According to reports, the boy's mother was taken in for questioning and her husband was fined 500baht (S$23) for not putting a seatbelt on the child.

The woman said that her son had a habit of sitting on top of the car and had been doing it for quite some time.

In addition, a court will decide on the punishment for driving without due care and attention, thus endangering others.

If found guilty, the father may be imprisoned for up to three months or fined between 2,000baht (S$90) and 20,000baht (S$903).

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There have been several cases of children attempting similar dangerous stunts on the roads this year.

In January, a woman in Australia was charged with dangerous driving after her four-year-old son was filmed taking a joyride on the roof of her car.

She claimed that she wasn't aware her child was on the top of the vehicle until other drivers alerted her.

In July, a driver in Johor was arrested after two boys — one of whom is his son — were spotted clinging to the back of his car as he sped through the red light at a busy traffic junction.

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lamminlee@asiaone.com