Driver spots tanker lorry heading towards him as it ‘tries to overtake’ car

Terrifying moment driver spots tanker lorry heading towards him as it ‘tries to overtake’ car – but operator says HGV was swerving to avoid a collision

  • Simon Kay, 48, captured moment on his car’s dash cam on the A49 in Shropshire 
  • Van Den Bosch company says it has contacted the driver twice since seeing clip
  • It added that it had launched a probe and would resolve the matter internally 


This is the terrifying moment a tanker lorry was captured heading straight towards a vehicle on the opposite side of the road. 

Dash cam footage captured by Simon Kay, 48, shows the HGV appearing to attempt to overtake a small black Citroen on a bend in Shropshire. 

The footage shows Mr Kay’s car slowing down as the tanker, operated by Van Der Bosch, brakes and tucks behind the Citroen, avoiding a collision. 

It is not known if the HGV was carrying any chemicals at the time of the incident, which occurred on the A49 at Ludlow on June 26. 

The company said it had already launched an investigation and would be resolving the matter internally.  

A spokesman for Van Den Bosch said: ‘The driver indicated that the black car in the video came from the Ludlow Food Factory right in front of the door and he had to swerve to avoid a collision. 

‘We are currently looking for some CCTV which will hopefully prove the driver’s claim.’

It later added that the footage was not found.  

But Mr Kay claimed: ‘The lorry was already by the side of him at the food centre junction, there is a turn off point in the middle of the road which he was overtaking on.

‘This part of the road is a traffic calming area due to too many accidents there in the past.’ 

In footage posted on Facebook, an HGV lorry appears to be attempting to take over a black Citroen at a bend in Shropshire 

The driver claims that the Citroen had pulled out in front of it at a junction

The incident has divided opinion with some social media users defending the truck driver and others criticising his action

Van Den Bosch said it had spoken twice to the HGV driver and insisted the matter would be dealt with internally

In the clip, the red lorry pulls back behind the Citroen just in time after seeing a vehicle heading towards it while on the A49 at Ludlow

In the clip, the red lorry pulls back behind the Citroen just in time after seeing a vehicle heading towards it while on the A49 at Ludlow

The action taken by the tanker driver has divided opinion online after Mr Kay uploaded the footage to Facebook.       

One user defending the HGV said: ‘Difficult to say for certain, but given the mentality of some car drivers who simply cannot bear the thought of being stuck behind a truck and have to get in front at all costs, the Truck Operators response is perfectly plausible. [sic]

‘About time car drivers realise a 44 tonne truck doesn’t stop on a sixpence.’ 

Another said: ‘I’m not defending the truck driver but we don’t just over take for the sake of it, the car was probably speeding up and slowing down and so on, and the driver got frustrated and attempted an over take and the car sped up – poorly judged by the HGV driver though.

‘If you actually watch the footage closely, as soon as the HGV appears you can see the cab diving forward because he is braking hard, car driver clearly pulled out in front of him – sorry to all the lorry haters.’

But others were convinced it was a simple case of the lorry trying to overtake.  

One wrote: ‘Evasive action usually involves braking. I don’t see that truck slowing down until cam car is an obstacle.’

Another added: ‘I would definitely say HGV trying to overtake, no way even fully loaded at 50 mph would it take so long to slow down.’

Van Den Bosch said it had spoken twice to the HGV driver and insisted the matter would be dealt with internally.