Moment rider almost hits little boy cycling while looking at his phone as he says ‘people need to be more aware’

THIS is the heartbreaking moment a driver almost ran over a little boy who was looking at his phone while riding a bike.

Martin Deem, 56, warned people “that they need to be made more aware” after the young lad backed away from him without looking up.

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The father was driving his Vauxhall Mokka down Military Road in Portsmouth, Hants, last month when he spotted the boy in the distance.

He said he was breaking the 40mph speed limit at the time but was forced to turn into oncoming traffic when the boy pedaled into the road.

Dramatic dashcam footage of Mr Deem shows him having to swerve into the opposite lane to miss the child.

Two cars can be seen approaching at the same time, resulting in Mr. Deem almost hitting one.

Of the near miss, he said, “I see this kid on the bike and I thought ‘he could do something.’

“When he came out in front of me, I was like, ‘Oh my God’.

“Because I knew him, I reacted quickly.

“If I had braked, I would still have hit him. I had to dodge.

“There was a millimeter between us.”

Mr Deem, from Gosport, Hants, said he stopped to check the boy was okay – but the boy had already slid down another road.

“I think he was embarrassed,” Mr Deem said.

His wife Theresa, who was with him at the time, later posted the footage online to warn others.

She said: “We didn’t give a damn about the boy. We were all a little shaken.

“I’m so glad Martin drove and not me. I could be wronging myself, but I think my reactions might have been different than his.

“I dread the thought of what could have happened. I’m so glad the outcome was the way it was because it could have been a devastating day for a family.

“Please can everyone teach our children more road safety.”

Mr Deem said the road he was driving “is fine” but there have been a few near misses, with school children crossing between parked cars.

He added, “It’s just that people need to be more aware.”