A shocking video sent to CBC News shows just how quickly a driver's life can change forever even while driving in good weather, with no distractions, under the speed limit.

The video, which was filmed with a dashcam on the Veterans Memorial Highway near Roaches Line, shows a moose running out from the shadows of a ditch, before the vehicle hits it head-on.

Two seconds to impact

A warning: this video contains graphic images.

A moose runs out from the shadows of a ditch and strikes a vehicle travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway 0:09

Just two seconds after the legs of the moose are visible on the video, the windshield is smashed — hair-raising for people recently shown the video by CBC News.

There is not much you can do there in that case - Dennis Butler

"Wow, that's fast," said Eric Snow of St. John's.

"You don't have a chance."

Snow said the government needs to do a better job at keeping the vegetation at the side of the road cut back.

"I think they can keep the roads wider, go back about 300 feet."

The video was taken on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Dennis Butler, a moose hunter, groaned and shook his head at the video.

"There is not much you can do there in that case," he said. "The moose just shot out in front of him. It's one of those things."

Proactive measures

Jim Brazil, a defensive driving instructor for Safety Services NL, said although moose collisions are often hard to avoid, there are some measures drivers can learn.

Moose hunter Dennis Butler, watching the video, said there wasn't much the driver could have done to avoid the accident. (Sherry Vivian/CBC )

"One of the things we will advise our students to do is drop back their speed. The reason for that is two things: the force of impact gets greatly reduced … and your peripheral vision gets stronger," he said.

He also encourages drivers to travel in the lane farthest away from the shoulder; that way, the driver has a little more time to react if a moose runs onto the road.

Jim Brazil, a defensive driving instructor for Safety Services NL, says collisions can be hard to avoid, but there are some steps drivers can take. (Bruce Tilley/CBC)

He also suggests paying attention to any breaks in the headlights of oncoming vehicles, and following a transport vehicle, at a safe distance away, to offer some protection.

"Sometimes, to be perfectly honest, there is no avoiding this. They are so tall and so agile," he said.

"But I think the most important thing for people to realize is that all of our roadways cut through moose territory, and so there is a lack of attention probably by an awful lot of people who don't take the risk serious enough."

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