Man puts car in reverse while driving at 50mph to see what actually happens

We've all had those impulsive 'I wonder what this does' thoughts, or been tempted to do something we know we shouldn't.

If you've ever thought about putting your car in reverse suddenly while driving really quickly, then the good news is one guy has done it for you to find out what happens.

Putting your car into reverse at 50mph isn't something any of us ever have to do - but it does look like fun.

YouTuber 'Auto Vlog' has taken one for the team with the risky challenge, as he decided to carry out the experiment you've been itching to try.

He also documented the whole thing, so you don't need to do it.

His previous challenges have included, er, filling a car with vodka - although you might not want to do that one.

He's also tried the reversing at speed thing several times before, with a new and old automatic car.

The bad news is, the car had enough failsafes built in to stop him from doing it.

One YouTuber decided to try and answer a question that had been bothering him (YouTube/AutoVlog)

Sensible, but spoilsports all the same.

The creator confessed: "This is a completely non-scientific experiment...I just want to find out what happens!"

This time around he tried a different tactic, and found a rusty manual vehicle to try the challenge out with instead.

It very nearly seemed like he would fail again, as the gearstick makes it difficult to shift into reverse while you're driving (for hopefully obvious reasons).

Determined, the YouTuber shoved the stick with both arms to force it to go in reverse.

The result is a terrifying sound as the car ground to a halt, with the unsurprising amount of friction leading to a whole lot of smoke. Oops.

"This truck is awesome!" he yells joyously when it allows him to do it.

At one point he thought he'd damaged the transmission before realising it had just stalled.

Unsatisfied with the result, the vlogger was insistent on trying the experiment again, with yet more varying degrees of success.

Each attempt led to more clunking and squealing, with the car drifting and inevitably to a halt as his Very Bad Idea continued.

One commenter joked: "Him: We gotta do that again! Clutch: P l e a s e n o."

Another YouTuber replied: "This guy just solved my life's biggest question."

"I asked my dad what would happen when he puts the car into reverse while driving fast," said one person. "He said look at YouTube there are enough stupid people to try it."

Good point well made.

Definitely don't try this one at home.