The lights of the intersection were red when he arrived but quickly transitioned to green - at this moment the girl started running towards oncoming vehicles.
The motorist raced out of his vehicle and raced towards the girl who was in harm's way as two other men ran onto the road from a nearby property.
Luckily, the girl was plucked from the street unharmed with vehicles from the other side of the intersection stopping midway through to avoid a collision.
The little girl standing on the road by herself. Photo / Supplied
"I just ran as fast as I could to get her," the motorist, who asked not to be named, told the Herald.
"When I saw her, I didn't know it was a girl. She wasn't moving and I was thinking it was probably someone doing a prank with a doll."
The motorist assumed it was the girl's parent who ran out of the property and picked her up from the footpath.
He did not thank or say anything to the motorist who saved the girl from the road.
The motorist hoped the incident would serve as a reminder for parents to always be attentive and aware of their child's safety.
"Little children, especially toddlers, are very active and will go anywhere to play with something that picks their interest," he said.
"I think the child's safety is the utmost priority of anyone who would want to jump into parenthood and there is no room for excuses."
The motorist running towards the girl as vehicles drive her way. Photo / Supplied
Two men ran out of a property as the motorist picked the girl up from the road. Photo / Supplied
The motorist dropping the girl back off on the footpath. Photo / Supplied
In a section on their website about road safety for children, NZ Transport Agency said they should only play outside in well-fenced areas away from traffic.
If a ball, toy, pet or other item was to go onto a road while they were playing, children should be taught to ask an adult for help.
Elsewhere, Safekids Aotearoa said children needed to keep their heads up and devices down when crossing the road.
Pedestrian crossings and controlled intersections should always be used when crossing the road and children ought to be wary of driveways too.
