Police have said a 16-year-old who drove a quadbike into oncoming traffic at rush hour in Liverpool city centre is 'lucky to be alive' after the stunt was caught on film.
The boy, who has not been named, was caught speeding down Strand at 5.30pm when he suddenly swerved into four lanes of oncoming traffic, weaving through cars as they tried to avoid him.
Police say the dangerous stunt led to him being arrested, banned from the roads for 12 months, and being given a youth rehabilitation order and a curfew.
Footage of the daylight crime was released by Merseyside Police during a crackdown on illegal and antisocial use of off-road bikes during which 28 bikes were seized during early morning raids.
Chief Superintendent Jonathan Roy said: 'He is lucky to be alive and the case clearly highlights the risks for the entire community when off-road bikes are ridden in this way.
'Today's action is all about responding to the concerns of communities across Merseyside and targeting those people who we believe have been using scrambler bikes in a dangerous or anti-social way.
'We know that many people are plagued by the problem of off-road vehicles and actually find them incredibly intimidating.
'When they are ridden dangerously, they pose a huge risk, not only to the safety of the rider but also to pedestrians and other law-abiding road users.
'We know that there are still scramblers, quads and other vehicles out there which are being ridden dangerously or anti-socially, and I hope today shows that when we have information, we will act on it to tackle the problem.'
Another Quad driver
Another Quad driver
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”