Young boy drives car in heavy traffic on Mexican highway

A driver travelling on a Mexican highway had to look twice when he saw a boy driving an SUV as an adult beside him texts on a mobile phone.

The alarming scene was filmed last Thursday from an overtaking car and the footage posted on the Facebook page of Mexican TV and radio station RTV Nuevo Leon.

The boy appears at ease driving the powerful SUV and the video shows him checking his side and rear view mirrors in textbook fashion. 

Alarmingly, however, it also shows the child having to stretch his neck to gain a view of the road ahead.

The legal driving age in Mexico is 18 although there are special licences available for teenagers.

Many viewers on Facebook appeared to be unconcerned about the underage driver with one saying putting a child behind the wheel of a car was better than giving them a gun.