A family of three narrowly escaped a serious accident after driving the wrong way down a busy road in South Auckland.

Bombay man Adam Reeves was driving south from Ramarama to Bombay on Sunday morning when he saw a small silver hatchback cruising alongside him on the wrong side of the road.

Reeves filmed the nail-biting encounter as the car navigated blind corners on the usually packed motorway.

"I use that road every day. It's quite a busy road; it's very surprising that no one was coming round those bends," he told NZME.

He says the road was quieter due to the closure at a nearby Caltex petrol station.

Reeves followed the car for roughly 3km before he could get the driver, travelling with his wife and child, to stop.

The video shows the car approaching the petrol station as another white car crests a hill and heads straight towards it.

At this point, the driver of the hatchback realises his mistake and finally pulls over.

Reeves filmed himself confronting the driver.

"What the f***k are you doing?" Reeves asked the man.

"You're on the wrong side of the road!"

The driver appears confused and gestures to the road.

Reeves says the man appeared to think the road was a one-way road with two lanes.

"He was driving well in his lane...I just don't know how long he was driving in that lane before I saw him," he told NZME.

Reeves posted the video on social media where users thanked him for stopping the man.

"Very lucky no one was coming the other way. Send your video to the police."

A police spokesperson told Newshub they are not "immediately aware" of the incident but are making enquiries into it.

Newshub.