This is the incredible moment a motorist with fast reflexes slams his vehicle into reverse and speeds backwards in order to avoid a head-on collision with an out-of-control lorry.

The video was shot on a road outside the city of Shaoyang, in Hunan, China, on August 7.

The driver of the car was travelling with his family when he slowed down after seeing what he thought was a lorry overtaking a vehicle with both coming from the opposite direction.

But then he realised to his horror that something was wrong, and the lorry appeared out of control.

Slamming his own vehicle into reverse, he puts his foot on the accelerator and starts to speed backwards as the wrecked lorry loses its load, and careers from side to side as it rushes towards him, as this footage shows.

Eventually, the damaged lorry moves back into the other lane, allowing the driver of the car to slow down. It then passes him by without striking him or his vehicle.

The only casualty was the fact that by then his car had moved so far to the side that it ended up in a drainage ditch and had to be dragged out.

But the man and his family were unharmed.

It was not revealed what happened to the lorry after it passed the man and his family.