Police find 10-year-old girl driving powerful Ford

Police pull over a vehicle driven by a 10-year-old in Forbury Rd on Saturday night. Photo / ODT

Car owner who let girl take wheel said he learned to drive in similar circumstances

Dunedin police were shocked to find a 10-year-old girl behind the wheel of a car being poorly driven on Saturday night.

The girl was driving a Ford Falcon in Forbury Rd about 9pm when the driver's erratic display caught the attention of a policeman in a patrol car, Senior Sergeant Dave Scott said.

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The owner of the car, an unrelated 52-year-old Dunedin man who was in the front passenger seat, tried to justify allowing the girl to drive by saying he learned to drive in similar circumstances.

However, police were not swayed by the explanation and issued the man with an infringement notice for aiding and abetting an unlicensed driver. The penalty for that offence is a $400 fine.

The circumstances were "so unusual" that the officer was unsure what the man could be charged with and police were investigating whether any other charges would follow, Mr Scott said.

The man was lucky the outcome was not worse as the road was wet, light was fading and the car's headlights were off.

"In a big powerful car and with a 10-year-old driver you would have to wonder what he was thinking," said Mr Scott. The man was not intoxicated and his actions were a result of a "brain fart".

Another 10-year-old was in a back seat and both were returned to their families by police. The girls were known by the man.

The quick actions of the police and reports from the public had meant the girl had not travelled far.