What does the reverse lockout do? (my old Contour was an auto)

There is a safety mechanism that prevents you from going from 5th to reverse still on the car (probly built into the tranny).

Goin' Round Traffic Circles @ 50Km/h!!! \m/ -- 1998 E0 SVT #2119 of 6535 \m/ -- 2003 Sentra SE-R Spec V