Shocking footage captures child near-misses on Melbourne roads

Heart-stopping videos have captured the moment two young girls were almost killed in separate incidents on busy Melbourne roads.

Heart-stopping videos have captured the moment two young girls were almost killed in separate horrifying incidents on busy Melbourne roads.

Dashcam footage emerged on social media of two shocking near-misses in Oakleigh East and Southbank over the past week.

In the first video, a car is seen driving past a childcare centre in the second lane on Ferntree Gully Rd on Wednesday.

A woman and her two kids walk on the road before one of them sprints towards the moving car.

The vehicle swerves into the third lane to avoid hitting the child.

The driver said the young girl could have “easily” been killed.

“Insanely close call on my drive home from work,” he said.

“Just got to focus on not thinking about what would have happened if the kid hadn’t slowed down when she did.”

A child was almost hit by a car on Ferntree Gully Rd.

A similar incident happened on Clarendon Rd.

The second video shows a man and his child standing between traffic on Clarendon Rd in Southbank on December 1.

The girl runs onto the road before the man grabs her arm and pulls her away.

Shocked commuters took to social media to slam the parent, calling him irresponsible.

“What is wrong with the adult, why not walk further up the road and cross at the lights,” one woman said.

“Irresponsible parenting at its finest! That doesn’t teach the child anything at all,” another said.

It comes as multiple children have tragically died after being struck by cars this year.

Ethan Nguyen, 3, died after he was hit at Sunshine North in June and a four-year-old girl was killed at an intersection at Hoppers Crossing in November.

Three-year-old Ethan Nguyen hit and killed by a car in Sunshine North this year.

According to the Transport Accident Commission, road crashes were the major cause of accidental deaths for children under 14.

On average, around seven children aged under 15 are killed and close to 300 are injured on Victorian roads each year.

A spokesman said kids were more at risk because they act on impulse, have difficulty judging situations and are less visible to drivers.

TAC chief executive Joe Calafiore said it was important to educate children about road safety.

“Children are still learning to act safely around vehicles and their bodies are more vulnerable in the event of a road accident, which is why it is so important that we do everything we can to protect young people on and around the roads,” he said.

“For parents and guardians, it’s important to talk to your children from an early age about safe road habits and, when traveling in a vehicle, always ensure children are correctly belted in a height appropriate restraint or booster seat.

“Because of their size, children can be hard to see and we urge all motorists to be vigilant on roads because the unexpected can happen at any time — put your phone away, slow down and be wary of areas where children frequent.”