The theory "it is easier to learn to drive backwards than forwards" has landed a 14-year-old boy and his mother in the police spotlight.
Dunedin police were called to Richmond St, South Dunedin, on Tuesday after the teenager allegedly reversed his mother's car at speed and crashed into a power pole.
Constable Tim Oldfield, of Dunedin, said the boy's mother wanted to visit a pharmacy at lunchtime on Tuesday, but she only had a learner's licence.
"Rather than get into trouble for driving, she decided it was time for her boy to learn how to drive.
She worked on the theory that it was easier to learn to drive backwards, so they reversed all the way to the local pharmacy."
No-one was injured, but the car was moderately damaged, Const Oldfield said.
The 14-year-old was referred to Youth Aid and his mother issued with an infringement notice for aiding an unlicensed driver.
