That’s probably what he told them when they turned up to his house and asked “hey why the fuck does this photo show a child driving your car on the highway without a seatbelt”. Doesn’t sound exaggerated imo and the charges match. If someone lacks the forethought to not let a kid who’s brain isn’t halfway finished developing operate several tonnes of motor vehicle on the highway, they probably did the interview off the cuff without talking to a solicitor.

I was similar to OP, we were taught to drive on private property due to living in regional areas but always supervised and never near public roads. One of my parents worked in a regional hospital during their training/residency days. The stories involving motor vehicle accidents I’ve heard definitely were enough for me to understand why it’s taken seriously.

The human body doesn’t do well when ejected through a windshield at highway speeds due to not wearing a seatbelt. Doesn’t do many favours to the psyche of those who have to clean up/try to save them afterwards either.