Lucky escape: UK driver's quick reactions save day after little girl walks into road

This the terrifying moment a driver was forced to slam on the brakes to avoid running over a little girl who had walked into the middle of a road in the UK.

Dash-cam video, captured on Saturday (February 23) in Okehampton in Devon, shows a driver making he way along a residential street at a speed of around 13mph.

A tradesman crosses the road towards his parked van and starts to close one of the back doors.

Then a very young girl - presumed to be a member of his family - appears from behind a parked car and follows him into the middle of the road without looking.

The tradesman steps in front of the car and puts his hand up to signal to the car to stop.

Fortunately, the quick reactions of the driver allow him to brake in time and avoid a tragedy.

The filmer said: "[The] male crosses road first and presumably doesn't expect the child to follow or is unaware of my vehicle.

"[I] just stopped in time, [it] was closer than it looked with the wide angle lens on the dash-cam.

"[It] shook me up for a good few minutes afterwards thinking what could have been if I'd been going faster or the girl had not appeared until last second."

The driver's reactions earned him praise online.

One commenter said: "Brilliant driving. You didn't get sucked into driving down there fast. Your speed was appropriate for the road. Your reactions were great. Well done!"

Another wrote: "Seeing this makes me want to go up and give my little girl another cuddle. Well done mate for ... your swift reactions."