Wrong-side driving is something that is often taken very lightly in India. Many don’t understand the seriousness of this issue and continue to do it. Irrespective of the size of the vehicle, people try to squeeze their vehicles through the wrong side just to save fuel or avoid a longer route or U-turn. Such irresponsible acts often lead to accidents. Here we have one such video where we see not a car or bike but a massive combine harvester being driven on the wrong side of a highway.
The video has been shared by Prateek Singh on his YouTube channel. It was recorded on the dashcam of a car and was shared with him by one of his followers or subscribers. The owner of the dashcam car was driving from Gurgaon to Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. It was getting dark and, as usual, the highway was not very well lit.
The car was being driven under the speed limit, and on his way, he overtook several vehicles too. After driving for some distance, he noticed that vehicles coming from the opposite direction were using high beams, which was blinding him. At the same time, he also noticed a very bright light in front of him.
It was almost like a vehicle was coming towards him from the opposite direction in his lane. The driver saw the light and decided to slow down. In the next couple of seconds, the source of the light was revealed. He saw a massive combine harvester coming towards him, and it was being driven on the rightmost overtaking lane.
The driver of the harvester also stopped, flashed the lights, and asked the dashcam car to move. The car driver was surprised by this act and decided to get out and confront the driver. He asked him about his behaviour, and the harvester driver gave some excuse.
The car driver didn’t move from his position and asked the harvester driver to go around. The harvester driver didn’t argue and decided to reverse the vehicle; instead of turning around, he continued his journey on the wrong side but in a different lane.
He was driving a huge and slow vehicle like a harvester with a trailer behind it on a highway - and that too on the wrong side in an overtaking lane. It was a perfect recipe for disaster. If the dashcam car driver had not spotted the lights, he might have continued driving fast on the rightmost lane and had a head-on collision with the harvester.
The driver of the harvester and other people might have escaped with minor injuries, but the car driver could have easily suffered serious injuries. In many countries, such large vehicles are not allowed on the road and have to be transported on a flatbed.
However, in India, these can be registered as farm equipment, and we can also see a registration number in front of the harvester, which makes it road-legal. Small mistakes like these often cause major accidents. The driver of the harvester could have driven the vehicle on the correct side of the road.
By driving on the wrong side, he is risking the lives of many innocent road users. Hopefully, authorities will come across this video and take necessary action to ensure that he doesn’t repeat the mistake.