Frightening video shows propane tank speeding towards driver on B.C. highway

A dashcam video caught the frightening moment that a loose propane tank came barrelling towards a woman who was driving on a highway on Vancouver Island.

Sydney Hong was driving on Highway 1 near Chemainus on Monday when the propane tank flew off the back of a trailer that was being towed by an RV in front of her.

"I was scared because I wasn't sure if a propane tank would blow up or not," said Hong.

"And then when it ricocheted off the barrier it started coming towards my car."

Hong was alone in the car when the tank missed her by a metre or two, partly thanks to some defensive driving.

"The first thing I thought of was the vehicles that were behind me and beside me," she said.

"I wasn't sure what direction that propane tank was going to go, because it was kind of bouncing all over the place," said Hong.

"Thankfully, everyone around me at that time was travelling the speed limit and maintaining safe distances, so I was able to slow down appropriately, I feel, without putting others at risk."

Hong believes the driver of the RV didn't notice that the propane tank flew off its trailer.

The RCMP's B.C. Highway Patrol says drivers need specific brackets to secure propane tanks on vehicles.

"We do have insecure loads throughout the province all the time," said Insp. Chad Badry with the B.C. Highway Patrol.

However, Badry says Monday's rolling propane tank is a first for him.

"Your standard fine is $598 for having an insecure load that bounces out like that, and then potentially, if this had resulted in a really serious incident, we could look at criminal charges of criminal negligence," he said.

Hong says she's grateful other drivers were paying attention on the highway.

"If someone was tailgating me, for example, or we were travelling too quickly, I may not have been able to react as quickly as I did or the people behind me may not have been able to react and it could have easily been a multi-vehicle collision," she said.