A NORMAL Fiat has been modified to allow the driver to travel BACKWARDS. The unusual transformation by Harpeet Devin is an eye-catching alteration on the roads of Bhatinda, India. The vehicle has four gears to drive in reverse and just one to go forwards. He has even fitted an ambulance siren to alert other drivers and pedestrians and added headlights to the rear of his car.
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MotorTranscript
00:00 COMM: Harpeet Devi has found a unique way
00:06 of making his driving stand out. He travels everywhere in reverse.
00:27 COMM: Harpeet's unusual style behind the
00:29 wheel has been a regular sight on the roads of Batinda in the Indian state of Punjab since
00:35 2003. He's modified his car, a Fiat Padmini, so that it now has four gears for reverse
00:42 and only one going forwards, allowing him to drive backwards at speeds of up to 50 miles
00:47 per hour. However, the reason he started driving in reverse in the first place was out of necessity
00:54 rather than choice.
00:56 HARPEET DEVI: One day I had an accident,
00:58 my car broke down somewhere, it was in the back of the car, I couldn't get it out of
01:05 the back of the car. Then I slowly got out of the city and I didn't have any money in
01:11 my pocket, so I thought I'll take it back to Batinda. So I slowly brought it back and
01:18 then my confidence increased.
01:20 COMM: After years of reversing, he now feels
01:23 he's a safer driver going backwards than he is going forwards and has been granted
01:28 special permission by the state government to allow him to continue with his unusual
01:33 style. To ensure safety, he's fitted an ambulance siren to alert other drivers and
01:40 pedestrians to the fact that he's reversing.
01:43 Crucially, he's also added headlights to
01:47 the rear of his car. And while driving like this has brought him fame, it's also had an
01:53 adverse effect on his health as he now suffers from back and neck problems.
01:59 For more information visit www.fema.gov
02:02 (upbeat music)