via YouTube
An 8-year-old girl driving a car at 100 km/h while her parents urged her is the latest viral video hit from Russia.
In the video, Karina Mikulchik, who is not wearing a seat beat, is behind the wheel in an Audi on an icy narrow country road outside St. Petersburg.
Her father, Dmitry, is in the front passenger seat and after his daughter reaches 90 km/h can be heard saying, “Come on! Give some gas! At least, 100 km/h!” Meanwhile, her mother, Elena, is in the backseat filming her daughter’s antics. After the speedometer hits 100, the father promises to put the video on VKontakte, Russia’s popular social network.
Throughout the 5:40 video clip, now viral on YouTube, despite her constant grins Karina appears a little tense, with her father occasionally puts his hand on the steering wheel to correct the direction of the drive. [videoembed id=116434]
Local Russian traffic police are now looking at the video footage. “An examination will be carried out in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses,” the press office of the traffic police said in a statement. “Video and all materials will be explored with the involvement and other services.” According to Russia’s traffic code, letting someone unauthorized to drive is punishable by a fine of 2,500 rubles (€63; $82).
“We must clearly identify when this video was shot. Maybe it was filmed last winter. Each article of the law has its own time limit,” a spokesperson for the regional traffic police told Metro.
The video footage has earned mixed opinions. Svetlana Agapitova, the ombudsman for children’s rights in St. Petersburg, has pointed to child negligence in this case, according to the Piter.Tv news website. But social media users have come to the parents’ defense. “The car is good, the car is in automatic, the father is beside the girl and can always take the wheel, the road is empty. People have gotten hysterical, but in vain,” wrote Yuri on Vkontake.
