LORAIN, Ohio -- A Lorain brother and sister said they just wanted to find their father, so they grabbed the keys to the family minivan and started driving.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, the children left a note for their sleeping mother that they were leaving the house. Their decision to drive away in the minivan could have ended in tragedy for the family after they crashed it on a busy street, Cleveland television station WEWS reported.

Hunter Lance and his 5-year-old sister, Jessica, are "very grounded," according to their mother, Marsha.

Hunter decided to take the van for a spin and brought his sister along. When asked why he did it, the 9-year-old said, "Well, I wanted to see how good I could drive."

Police said Hunter drove the minivan for a mile or two before swerving on a busy street, lost control, grazed a telephone pole and slammed into a fence.

The impact snapped a front tire and blew out the transmission.

"They could have hit another vehicle head-on when they went left of center. They could have hit the telephone pole worse than what they did. They just scraped against it," said Lorain Police Officer Dennis Walend.

The children suffered only minor injuries. Marsha Lance was sleeping at the time of the crash and had no idea her son and daughter left the house until a detective knocked on the front door and told her what happened.

"I was OK for a minute and then I was in shock," she said.

Marsha Lance believed the children may have been heading to Oberlin to visit their dad at work. They got the keys after rummaging through their mother's purse.

The mother said she learned her lesson, and will keep a better eye and them and keep her purse where they can't get it.

Hunter said he's never going to do it again.

Lorain police are not sure if the children were wearing seat belts because they were out of the van by the time crews arrived.

Officers do not expect to file any charges against their mother but the accident will be reviewed by the prosecutor.