A short, disquieting YouTube video, which shows a toddler steering a car - supposedly on a suburban Melbourne street - has invited the ire of the police authorities who have slammed the incident, calling it an act of "absolute stupidity."

The one-minute clip, posted on video-sharing site YouTube last month, shows a toddler steering a car independently through Melbourne's suburban streets. The video was seemingly captured from the passenger seat of the car, and it shows a baby sitting in a man's lap. The driver takes his hands off the steering wheel time and again, leaving the toddler to steer the car of his own.

Despite the fact that the disturbing video footage has now been removed from the YouTube site, the police have condemned the actions of the driver; and have also expressed relief that the incident did not cause any injury to the child or to the other people on the road.

Pointing out that the male driver, who handed the steering wheel of the car to the toddler, could be liable for a number of offences, including the serious "conduct endangering" and several other traffic offences, Brimbank Acting Insp Tim O'Conner told 3AW radio: "It didn't appear the child was wearing a seatbelt, you've got the possibility of an airbag going off - and we know how dangerous they can be to the people sitting in the seats - and also just the fact that it is a danger to other road users."