Cars
In this photo, traffic jams up on the Kennedy Expressway leaving the city for the Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, Illinois, May 23, 2014. Getty Images/ Scott Olson

A four-year-old child in his underwear was seen riding on the roof of a car in Perth, Australia, on Friday. After the shocking footage went viral on social media, the mother of boy, who was driving the car at the time, was summoned to appear in court.

In a footage of the incident, which was obtained by 9News, the child, wearing just underwear, could be seen sitting upright on the roof of a Holden Captiva, as the car sped across Piara Waters, the Southern River and on the nearby Tonkin Highway, Perth. The maximum speed limit in the area is 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour.

The car reportedly drove with the boy sitting on the top for more than 15 minutes before it pulled over hearing all the honking and flashing lights from other vehicles in the vicinity. When the 36-year-old unnamed woman, who was driving the car, was questioned about it, she claimed she did not know her son was sitting on top.

It is unclear whether the child had any form of safety restraints when he was sitting on top of the car. “The child seemed fine and looked like he was enjoying himself,” a witness told 9News. Another person who saw the sight said it made him “sick to the stomach.”

A number of social media users said it was not the first time that the accused had driven with her son sitting on top of her car.

“Bystanders have waved the mother down previously… her comment is that ‘he likes it’,” one said, while another said, “She knew he was up there as they've done it plenty of times and been caught before.”

The police said they opened an investigation into the incident after the driver was alerted by passing motorists. "Canning Vale Police responded to the reports and located the vehicle driving into a petrol station on Nicholson Road, Harrisdale Police observed three children in the car, two secured in child restraint seats. However, it will be alleged that a four-year-old boy was unrestrained,” a police spokesman said.

On being forced to pull over, the accused pulled down the toddler from the roof, placed him inside the car and drove off from the scene, according to witnesses. She could be facing prison time if it is proven in court that she knowingly let her son ride on top of a moving car. The date of her court appearance has not been set yet.

“This is reckless endangerment of life if this was done knowingly,” prosecutor John Hammond said. “(There’s a) maximum penalty of seven years and if there's intent to do it, 20 years could apply.”