THIS is the heart-stopping moment when a nappy-wearing toddler dashes onto a busy road and comes within inches of being hit by a car.

The shocking footage was caught via dashcam as the three-year-old girl darts across two lanes in Australia.

It begins with a standard view of a busy dual carriageway in Queensland.

But within a split second, a small child can be seen by the roadside, running towards the middle of the road.

In the blink of an eye, she charges straight out into the busy dual carriageway.

The kid comes within inches of being hit by a Toyota Hilux.

The footage was captured on a 70kmph (43.5mph) road in Bellbird Park, Ipswich.

A witness told 7News he had to make a split-second decision between braking or swerving into another lane.

He screeched to a halt while the Hilux driver, who was apparently unaware of the danger ahead, overtook him.

The Hilux misses the little girl by a hair‘s breadth, who pauses for a second afterwards before continuing to charge around the busy road.

Two female drivers then rushed out of their cars to pick up the child and take her to safety.

“We looked around and we couldn’t see any parents,” one driver said.

The rescuers then drove the kid to Goodna Police Station, where they discovered she had been reported missing by her worried parents.

Queensland cops were then able to return the girl to her family.

The kid had apparently escaped through a gap in her parents’ garage door.

Her parents told 7NEWS that their toddler has autism and that they were busy with two other kids when they realised she had wandered off.

The heart-stopping clip has been viewed more than 100,000 times in under 24 hours.

Many commenters on the video shared sympathy for the girl’s parents’ plight.

“My son is on the spectrum and was also a runner. I feel for the parents,” one viewer said.

Another said: “That is absolutely terrifying. She is so so so lucky.”

But another viewer took a different tone, saying: “Parents need to keep their eyes on their children.”

“That is every parent’s worst nightmare. So glad that kid is okay,” said another.

KidSafe Australia has warned: “Children are vulnerable road users.

“Anywhere where there is a potential for moving vehicles is a potentially dangerous traffic situation for children.”

A 2023 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare study found that land transport accidents are the leading cause of death for children between one and 14 years old, 7NEWS has reported.