This is the heart-stopping moment a tree fell into an oncoming car on a rural road in Thailand.

Dashcam footage shows a tree on the roadside toppling over at the exact moment a pick-up truck was driving along Tak province on February 21.

The trunk and branches shattered the vehicle's headlights and left scratches across the bumper and bonnet.

Local traffic officer Apirak Phunual said a forest fire had recently ripped through the area. He believed the tree fell onto the road after its roots and trunk were weakened by the fire.

Apirak said: 'It was very lucky the driver managed to slow down in time. Otherwise, the tree would have hit the glass windscreen instead. This incident is another example of how wildfires are affecting us.'

Northern Thailand has been grappling with forest fires and agricultural burning in recent weeks.

Authorities said the country has entered its wildfire season, which usually lasts from December to May and peaks in February to March.

Thailand also has one of the world's worst road safety records, with the failure to maintain roadside trees and bushes adding to the risks. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools, cheap loans for cars, notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws as well as endemic corruption and chronic under-investment in infrastructure hamper the efforts.