A motorist has highlighted the importance of road safety by sharing the dramatic moment a child swerved out into the road in front of him.

The near miss happened at around 8.45am on Monday, September 9 in Bowthorpe when Steven Ashby, 39, a carpenter from Norwich, was on his way to a first aid course at Bowthorpe Hall.

In dashcam footage of the incident taken from Mr Ashby's vehicle, a young child can be seen pedalling a tricyle along the pavement before suddenly swerving into the road.

Luckily Mr Ashby, the driver of the car, spotted the hazard before the event happened and slowed down, meaning when the child did swerve into the road he was able to stop in time and no one was injured.

In the footage the youngster's parent can be seen running after their child and catching up with them just after the near miss.

Mr Ashby, who has been driving since he was 17, said: "I kind of saw the incident before it happened, I've got a child about the same age.

"I was a bit worried. If it was someone else, who wasn't concentrating, it could have been so much worse.

"It just shocked me a little. I've always got hold of my little one. I don't know what was going through the parent's head. I know someone whose child was killed on a road so I'm a bit more paranoid about it I guess."

After seeing the footage, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "This must have been an extremely worrying incident for everyone involved. We are relieved that the driver was able to stop safely and avoid any more serious consequences. Sadly, this is not always the case - a total of 28 child pedestrians were killed in Great Britain in 2018, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

"It important for drivers to be aware that pedestrians, especially children, may well make mistakes and drivers need to anticipate this and, in particular, watch their speed.

"Of course, we encourage parents and carers to get out and about with children to experience the road environment because it is great way to help children learn about road safety, and we promote active travel like walking and cycling. However, it is important that very young children always remain close to an adult when in a road environment."