Watch: Toddler filmed driving car in Whangārei

Alarming footage posted on social media shows a toddler driving a car across lanes in Whangarei on Sunday night.

Alarming footage posted on social media shows a toddler driving a car across lanes in Whangārei on Sunday night.

A person, who wished to remain anonymous, told Newshub she was shocked when she saw the footage on the toddler's mother's Instagram.

"I just think it's so brainless and stupid and not cool at all," they said.

The video captioned "Drove me to KFC" shows a 3-year-old sitting on the driver's lap with its hands on the steering wheel.

The car is seen going through a green light and across a lane while the mother shows off the KFC they bought.

Police said in a statement the actions were dangerous and could have led to a serious accident.

"Wearing your seatbelt and making sure your children are properly restrained will keep you and your children safe, as even a low-speed impact can cause to a great deal of harm to an unrestrained child," a spokesperson said.

"Keeping children restrained at all times when they are travelling in a vehicle also reduces the risk of the driver getting distracted, which could potentially pose a risk to the safety of other road users."

This is not the first time a child has been spotted driving a car in Auckland.

At the beginning of this year, a motorist shared her disbelief after witnessing a preschooler steering a car on Auckland's Southern Motorway in peak hour traffic.