Columbus drivers are no strangers to questionable road etiquette; anyone who’s ever tried to merge onto I-70 at rush hour knows this. But one driver took things to a whole new level (or rather, in the exact opposite direction) by reversing up Summit Street for several blocks, hazard lights flashing as if that made it all okay.
The spectacle, captured in an eight-second Reddit clip, shows the driver calmly cruising backward up the busy one-way street, dodging traffic with surprising precision. Naturally, the Columbus subreddit wasted no time in dissecting the maneuver, with one commenter summing up the general sentiment: “TO BE FAIR, they have their hazards on.”
The great legal minds of Reddit quickly debated whether driving backward through a major city street is actually against the law. Ohio traffic laws don’t explicitly prohibit driving in reverse for short distances, but there’s a key phrase that makes this particular move a problem: “as long as it can be done safely.”
Spoiler alert: weaving backward through traffic on a busy road is not what most would call “safe.” Another user quipped, “Hazards cover a multitude of sins,” while someone else compared it to a scene out of a Larry David sketch.
Some theorized that the driver’s transmission was shot, forcing them into a last-ditch, tow-truck-avoidance strategy. “No first gear or clutch is out,” one user speculated, while another chimed in with, “Beware of buying a used car of this model with suspiciously low mileage soon.”
Surprisingly, this isn’t even the first time someone has attempted a reverse-only road trip in the city. One commenter recounted a similar experience from the ‘90s: “I bought a 1969 Pontiac Catalina convertible off a buddy for $200. There was just one catch… it only drove in reverse.” Naturally, they still drove it home that way.
Other Ohioans confirmed this isn’t unheard of, with one Redditor recalling a Grandview cop who actually escorted them home while they reversed up Northwest Boulevard. No ticket, just a compliment on their driving skills. “Be glad it was me,” the officer allegedly said.
While this particular driver managed to complete their mission without incident, this is not an endorsement of reversing your way to work. Even if your transmission is toast, there are safer options—like, say, pulling over and calling a tow truck.
Or, as one user put it: “This is exactly what AAA is for.”
At the very least, if you’re going to attempt such a stunt, be sure to do one thing: turn on your hazards. Apparently, they make everything legal.
