A driving instructor had a lucky escape when his car’s windscreen was smashed by a wooden plank which flew off the back of an oncoming van.

Darren Willett, from Minster-on Sea, caught the shocking moment on his Peugeot 208’s dashcam while travelling along Lower Road towards Eastchurch on Thursday just after 1.45pm.

He was travelling at about 50mph on the national speed limit route when the scaffold board came loose from the back of a vehicle doing a similar speed in the opposite direction.

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As well as the damage to the windscreen it also scraped the dashboard.

Mr Willett, who was on his own at the time and was on his way to pick up a learner driver, said it could have killed a motorcyclist.

He said: “I actually saw it fall but it was a split second and all of a sudden it was just bang.

Video: The moment the board hits the windscreen

“I was in shock and there was glass all over me. Everyone wanted to get around me. No one stopped to make sure everything was all right.”

The 45-year-old Noreen Avenue resident brought his car to a safe stop after the collision but said he does not know how one of his students would have reacted to the situation and someone less experienced may have swerved and gone into the ditch which lines the road.

He said: “I always tell pupils, swerving is your last resort. You should always try to keep as straight as possible and then just bring your vehicle to a safe stop if necessary.

“I had to do something but if I did try to perform an emergency stop I would have got slammed into from behind.

The dad-of-two, who has been an instructor for 15 years, managed to catch up with the driver of the truck later on after a witness told him the man was working near by.

When approached, the man said he was oblivious to the fact the plank had fallen and insurance details were sorted out.

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