14 DAY TRIAL // Some people like to make fun of the Brits for driving on the supposed wrong side of the road. It just so happens that there is even a wackier way to get around using a four-wheeler, and an Indian cab driver is here to prove it.
Not to beat about the bush, word has it that this man has been driving backwards for over a decade now. That's right, it appears that, whenever he takes to the road, he gets to stare at the folks driving behind him and wave them hello.
He's nothing if not a gifted driver
Oddity Central tells us that the man, identified as 30-year-old Harpreet Dev, got into the habit of driving backwards in 2003. This means that his car has been facing the wrong end of the road for 11 years now.
Contrary to what some might assume, the man is not a threat to other drivers in his hometown of Bhatinda in Punjab, India. He is a gifted driver and feels quite at ease when driving backwards.
In fact, he says that he has no trouble making his car go as fast as 50 miles per hour (about 80 kilometers per hour). He is forever careful and has even equipped his car with an ambulance siren that serves to alert others.
“I take all the care I can to protect the other drivers on the road,” the 30-year-old man told the press in a recent interview. Mind you, Harpreet Dev even has a special license allowing him to legally drive backwards in northern India.
Not a very pleasant driving experience
The 30-year-old man says that, although driving backwards at a rather impressive speed might sound like a whole lot of fun, the fact of the matter is that doing so is by no means the most pleasant experience anyone could ever hope for.
Thus, Harpreet Dev explains that, because he constantly has to turn his head around to check the road, he often experiences neck and backbone pains. What's more, it appears that, during his first years as a backwards driver, he even vomited a few times.
Still, the man claims that the experience is well worth it and that, now that he's even modified his car to be able to reach impressive speeds while going backwards, he would never go back to driving in the old-fashioned style.
He did not plan to become a backwards driver
As mentioned, the 30-year-old first experimented with this odd driving style back in 2013. He says that he took his first backwards trip one night when his car got stuck in reverse and he had no choice but to drive home while facing the wrong side of the road.
“I was outside the city, I had no money, so I thought of driving the car backwards until Bhatinda. Then I drove backwards and later on I gained confidence,” the man explained in a statement.
Harpreet Dev very much enjoyed the experience and in time gained confidence and started going faster and faster. Not long ago, he even drove backwards from Rajahstan, India, all the way to Lahore, Pakistan, looking to promote peace between the two countries.
If you have a few minutes to spare, be sure to have a look at the video below to see the 30-year-old man driving backwards on the streets of the town of Bathinda in India.
