VIDEO: Driver travels for 25km at speeds of over 100km/h on the WRONG side of the M3 motorway

Tragedy was narrowly averted last night when a driver of a van drove for over almost 25km the WRONG way on one of Ireland's busiest motorways.

The terrifying drama unfolded at approximately 8.45 last night (Saturday) when the white van was spotted driving north on the southbound carriageway of the M3 just shortly after the toll plaza.

At speeds of up to 110km/h the van driver occupied the inside lane of the motorway seemed oblivious to the deadly danger he was posing to oncoming traffic.

Bizarrely, with rolling mist over parts of the motorway, the driver had his fog lights on but failed to recognise the deadly danger he posed to traffic coming towards him.

One motorist driving north who sent us this dramatic footage said his heart "jumped" when he spotted the vehicle on the wrong side of the central reservation and sounded the horn and flashed lights to try and alert the driver.

"He just kept going. Everytime I saw a car's headlights in the distance, I flashed them, and just kept hoping they were in the outer lane. If two cars had been coming soutbound together it would have been a catastrophe," said the witness who didn't wish to be named.

The van driver passed exits for Dunshaughlin, and Skyrne having travelled for miles narrowly avoiding buses and trucks in the process. It's unclear where the driver came to access the wrong side of the motorway.

Emergency services were alerted and the terrifying incident which lasted over 15 minutes came to a halt as gardai established a checkpoint, brought southbound traffic to a halt at Junction 8 (Navan South) and ordered to the vehicle to a halt.

"I was so relieved to see the blue lights flashing off in the distance, and the brake lights come on in the van, it was sickening thinking how this could end otherwise."

**** Update at 2pm 01/12/20.

A 52-year-old Romanian man charged with allegedly driving the wrong way on the M3 motorway last Saturday failed to appear at Trim District Court today to answer a charge of dangerous driving. Judge Cormac Dunne on the request of Sergeant Kevin Moroney issued an arrest warrant for Dan Zaharie with an address at Reghinjudetul, Romania.