Dashcam footage reveals rental car's close miss while overtaking another car in Queenstown

The car swerves over the centre line to pass and seems to miss a crashing into an oncoming rental van by just millimetres. Photo / Reddit

Police are searching for a driver behind an incredibly close miss while overtaking in a rental car near Queenstown.

A video posted by a New Zealander on Reddit yesterday shows a white Toyota hatchback overtaking their car on a busy bend in a road in Queenstown.

The car swerves over the centre line to pass and seems to miss crashing into an oncoming rental van by just millimetres.

The dangerous move also forces an oncoming car to veer half way out of their lane, over the lines and on to the shoulder of the road.

The car then pulls back into their lane in front of the car with the dashcam, before careening off down the road.

Reddit users commenting on the video have slammed the driver as a "tosser" and a "mental case".

"That person should LOSE their licence, period," one person wrote.

"86 people have died on the roads already this year. Something has to change," another commented.

A police spokeswoman confirmed this morning they had received a complaint about the car yesterday.

"We are making inquiries to identify the driver," she said.

A spokesman from Snap Vehicles, the rental company that owns the vehicle involved in the incident, labelled the footage "scary".

National Operations Manager Jono Bennett said the company would be helping police with their investigation and helping with attempts to locate the driver.

Bennett also said the company tried to make sure drivers are across New Zealand's road rules and comfortable driving within these.

"When we hand over the car we provide a little pamphlet and show them a video talking about how to drive in New Zealand," he said,

If the drivers were not familiar with the roads Bennett said Snap staffers would encourage them to practise on back roads before heading onto main roads.