I have done survey on subject " using both legs while driving an automatic car" in linkedin dot com. Lets see what expert had said which is not in particular order. If you have any different points with reasons please write on comments.
According to the comments i have come to the conclusion that its unsafe to use both legs while driving an automatic car.
I have herewith attached comments not all but with those written with reasons.
Dez Miklos •Many years ago I had a senior citizen go through the front of my driving school window. He was the typical two foot driver of an automatic vehicle. The short of the story is that he made an improper right turn on a red light. As he did this he got hit on the driver's side of the vehicle. He instinctively steered to the right and braked with the left foot, but braced himself with his right. It was on top of the gas pedal, thus he accelerated into my driving school premises. When he realized what he did he put the gearshift into reveres. His vehicle got stuck up on the rubble thus prevented him from scooting back out into traffic. His foot was still on the gas pedal as the policeman reached in to the vehicle to shut off the ignition. All this time the senior's left foot was on the brake pedal, because the brake lights were still on.
This is a tragic example of two footed driving, fortunately no one was injured.
I find this bad habit mostly in older people who originally learned on a manual transmission. They simply do not know what to do with the left foot. I recommend amputation below the knee. (Just kidding!)
I find this phenomenon very pronounced in drivers coming from Eastern Europe.
There are performance drivers who recommend this type of two footed method of driving. Their reasoning is one can better respond in an emergency. Perhaps, but one has to be a very very good driver to be able to do this constantly and not necessarily in an emergency situation.
Francine Cymbaly •It is a known fact through much research that for the average driver, in an emergency situation, both feet with go down. It is unacceptable here and always has been considered unsafe practice to use both feet in an automatic vehicle. There is possibly also an issue with ABS not functioning and depending on the size of the engine and driver's pressure on the pedal, the brake may not hold the vehicle. As Dez has already indicated.
Iris Greer •we encourage all drivers to only use right foot for braking & accelerating as left foot resting on brake gives anyone travelling behind the impression the car is stationary,it will also wear brakes out quicker & should only be used for a clutch in manual vehicles. Testing officers here dont normally pass left brake students, unless they are older drivers.
William J. Traub •I see them on the highway everyday. Their break lights are on but they are accelerating. Hard to tell what they are going to do. What about the mechanical issues of apply constant pressure on the breaks?... heat and wear?
Rudy Wiebe CDI, TDG, PDIC, LCV •It is quite possible when u have one foot on the brake pedal and the other on the accelerator that you may be applying slight pressure to the brakes without even noticing it, causing unneccesary wear and heat. All in all, I see it as just simply a bad practice
Rudy Wiebe CDI, TDG, PDIC, LCV •Can someone please explain how it would be quicker to move the left foot from the floor to the brake pedal than it is to move the right foot from the accelerator to the brake? IF one is looking far enough ahead and reading the traffic, rather than just at the vehicle immediately in front of, then most often you can 'anticipate' what's coming and remove your foot from the acceleratror to 'cover' the brake pedal and be ready to brake if/when needed. This of course would require that you leave adequate 'following distance' and of course that you actually are giving attention to your driving.
Keith Lane •.
Rudy, I fully agree with you –
Whilst there are a few specialist vehicles, i.e. single-seat racing cars, go-carts, etc, that are designed for 2-footed operation where the left foot is permanently hovering over the brake pedal,
for the typical driver in a typical road car, there will be absolutely NO time difference whatsoever between:–
lifting the right foot from the gas pedal, moving it sideways, and pressing the footbrake pedal,
or
lifting the left foot from the footrest, moving it sideways, and pressing the footbrake pedal.
However, everyone seems to have missed 2 important situations where 2-footed driving is necessary –
1. After driving through deep water, it is necessary to keep the car moving with the gas pedal whilst simultaneously gently using the footbrake to wipe, dry, and warm the brake shoes / pads.
2. Whilst manoeuvring on a steep gradient with an auto transmission, it may be necessary to maintain revs & power with the gas pedal whilst simultaneously controlling speed with the footbrake.
DAVID THOMSON •on Dez story up top.
There is a case in New Zealand where a similar example of the control of vehicle was lost and the driver sadly made a fatal drive through a lot of pedestrians.
Like the above story the foot was still on the accelerator.( reason - diagnosis of traumatic stress disorder - post braking)
On investigation it was discovered that the drivers brain malfunctioned. It was unable to distinguish from the acceleration versus the deceleration.
The subsequent study identified the brain only recognises the change in speed not +/- in speed change.
You might want to ask the student to take this into consideration when they decide how they choose to operate it.
Kevin (KJ) Puru •As a proffesional driving instructor I call this particular habit paddle driving with the feet and consider it to be a dangerous practice. Two reasons first with the left leg the pressure applied on the pedal is not as controlled as the right leg too much sudden pressure on the pedal when driving on a wet road at speed can have disasterous results or worst of all cause a fatal acccident.
mick reynolds •It is a totally different scenario when on a race track to that on the public highway , I have associates who race regularly and they use the left foot braking approach , however that is only because they want to go from 100mph down to 40 then straight back to 100 , I dont think there is a need to do this on a public highway . I agree the reaction time is probably quicker but I dont remember any article stating that a person didn't go into the back of another because he was left foot braking , more like he was just too close in the first place . Do we really need to over complicate driving techniques for everyday use ? Brakes to slow gas to go gets my vote very time and of course always with the right foot lol.
michael K. •In ireland you will not pass an automatic driving test unless you only use your right leg for accelerating and braking, There are no exceptions to this rule, This was clarified to me recently as i had a client who drove with both feet in an automatic, I was told that in exceptional circumstances for someone with a physical disability and a specialy modified set of pedals then it may be considered.
Joda Collins •For those that try to justify the use of the left foot to brake, I say, "Virtually every driving school in the world teaches braking with the right foot. Every driving school has their own explanation for doing this, but most of them come down to safety. When 100% of the professional driving schools in the world teach braking with the right foot it must be a pretty good rule. Because it is safer, because this is my car, because is it my insurance and because my safety is at risk with left foot braking, I, also, only teach braking with the right foot. I would be happy to give you the many reasons if you want to. We can stop the car and discuss them. Would you like to do that, or would you be able to use your right foot for braking simply because all professional driving schools say it is safer?
If they say they need to hear the reasons first, then stop the vehicle and consume as much of their behind the wheel time stationary as you can explaining in great detail why right foot braking is bad. Start out by saying, "There are a lot of reasons. It takes quite a bit of time to clarify them all. Let me know when you have enough reasons to justify you using on the right foot for braking."
1. All vehicle insurance companies discourage the use of the left foot for braking. They must believe it is dangerous.
2. Those that use left foot braking tend to ride the brakes which wear brakes out faster and can cause the brakes to overheat.
3. In an emergency people tend to slam both feet on the floorboard. If the left foot is against the firewall and the right foot is on the brake, that is safer than the right foot fully pressing the accelerator and the left foot fully pressing the brake.
4. The left foot has four functions: left foot on floorboard provides balance, brace yourself for a crash, clutch and using parking brake as an emergency brake if your brakes fail. If your left foot is otherwise employed when braking, none of these uses can be employed.
5. Using the left foot for braking means that a driver must shift body weight in order to brake. This takes time and this added moved places the body off balance for long enough to be a problem in an emergency.
6. Using the left foot for braking and "riding the brakes" sends false signals to those behind who will so ignore your brake lights thus you are more likely to be rear ended when you do use your brakes for an emergency.
7. The older one gets, the more like the individual will experience confusion behind the wheel, therefore, the older one gets the more likely multitasking becomes dangerous. Using both feet is multitasking.
Steve Overend •I've always taught my students whether they are novices or professional drivers to plant their left foot squarely on the dead pedal to help avoid this very dangerous habit. Yes I have seen a lot of seniors do this but a lot of novices ( gamers ) are picking up the habit as well. Nothing good will ever come from 2 footed driving in an automatic. Along with the inherent dangers as pointed out above but its also brutal on your vehicle and gas mileage.
for more comments go to linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&type=member&gid=2254597&item=117287376&commentID=0&trk=eml-ntf-hero-like-my-discussion&ut=3PdxVH16BYRRA1
According to the comments i have come to the conclusion that its unsafe to use both legs while driving an automatic car.
I have herewith attached comments not all but with those written with reasons.
Dez Miklos •Many years ago I had a senior citizen go through the front of my driving school window. He was the typical two foot driver of an automatic vehicle. The short of the story is that he made an improper right turn on a red light. As he did this he got hit on the driver's side of the vehicle. He instinctively steered to the right and braked with the left foot, but braced himself with his right. It was on top of the gas pedal, thus he accelerated into my driving school premises. When he realized what he did he put the gearshift into reveres. His vehicle got stuck up on the rubble thus prevented him from scooting back out into traffic. His foot was still on the gas pedal as the policeman reached in to the vehicle to shut off the ignition. All this time the senior's left foot was on the brake pedal, because the brake lights were still on.
This is a tragic example of two footed driving, fortunately no one was injured.
I find this bad habit mostly in older people who originally learned on a manual transmission. They simply do not know what to do with the left foot. I recommend amputation below the knee. (Just kidding!)
I find this phenomenon very pronounced in drivers coming from Eastern Europe.
There are performance drivers who recommend this type of two footed method of driving. Their reasoning is one can better respond in an emergency. Perhaps, but one has to be a very very good driver to be able to do this constantly and not necessarily in an emergency situation.
Francine Cymbaly •It is a known fact through much research that for the average driver, in an emergency situation, both feet with go down. It is unacceptable here and always has been considered unsafe practice to use both feet in an automatic vehicle. There is possibly also an issue with ABS not functioning and depending on the size of the engine and driver's pressure on the pedal, the brake may not hold the vehicle. As Dez has already indicated.
Iris Greer •we encourage all drivers to only use right foot for braking & accelerating as left foot resting on brake gives anyone travelling behind the impression the car is stationary,it will also wear brakes out quicker & should only be used for a clutch in manual vehicles. Testing officers here dont normally pass left brake students, unless they are older drivers.
William J. Traub •I see them on the highway everyday. Their break lights are on but they are accelerating. Hard to tell what they are going to do. What about the mechanical issues of apply constant pressure on the breaks?... heat and wear?
Rudy Wiebe CDI, TDG, PDIC, LCV •It is quite possible when u have one foot on the brake pedal and the other on the accelerator that you may be applying slight pressure to the brakes without even noticing it, causing unneccesary wear and heat. All in all, I see it as just simply a bad practice
Rudy Wiebe CDI, TDG, PDIC, LCV •Can someone please explain how it would be quicker to move the left foot from the floor to the brake pedal than it is to move the right foot from the accelerator to the brake? IF one is looking far enough ahead and reading the traffic, rather than just at the vehicle immediately in front of, then most often you can 'anticipate' what's coming and remove your foot from the acceleratror to 'cover' the brake pedal and be ready to brake if/when needed. This of course would require that you leave adequate 'following distance' and of course that you actually are giving attention to your driving.
Keith Lane •.
Rudy, I fully agree with you –
Whilst there are a few specialist vehicles, i.e. single-seat racing cars, go-carts, etc, that are designed for 2-footed operation where the left foot is permanently hovering over the brake pedal,
for the typical driver in a typical road car, there will be absolutely NO time difference whatsoever between:–
lifting the right foot from the gas pedal, moving it sideways, and pressing the footbrake pedal,
or
lifting the left foot from the footrest, moving it sideways, and pressing the footbrake pedal.
However, everyone seems to have missed 2 important situations where 2-footed driving is necessary –
1. After driving through deep water, it is necessary to keep the car moving with the gas pedal whilst simultaneously gently using the footbrake to wipe, dry, and warm the brake shoes / pads.
2. Whilst manoeuvring on a steep gradient with an auto transmission, it may be necessary to maintain revs & power with the gas pedal whilst simultaneously controlling speed with the footbrake.
DAVID THOMSON •on Dez story up top.
There is a case in New Zealand where a similar example of the control of vehicle was lost and the driver sadly made a fatal drive through a lot of pedestrians.
Like the above story the foot was still on the accelerator.( reason - diagnosis of traumatic stress disorder - post braking)
On investigation it was discovered that the drivers brain malfunctioned. It was unable to distinguish from the acceleration versus the deceleration.
The subsequent study identified the brain only recognises the change in speed not +/- in speed change.
You might want to ask the student to take this into consideration when they decide how they choose to operate it.
Kevin (KJ) Puru •As a proffesional driving instructor I call this particular habit paddle driving with the feet and consider it to be a dangerous practice. Two reasons first with the left leg the pressure applied on the pedal is not as controlled as the right leg too much sudden pressure on the pedal when driving on a wet road at speed can have disasterous results or worst of all cause a fatal acccident.
mick reynolds •It is a totally different scenario when on a race track to that on the public highway , I have associates who race regularly and they use the left foot braking approach , however that is only because they want to go from 100mph down to 40 then straight back to 100 , I dont think there is a need to do this on a public highway . I agree the reaction time is probably quicker but I dont remember any article stating that a person didn't go into the back of another because he was left foot braking , more like he was just too close in the first place . Do we really need to over complicate driving techniques for everyday use ? Brakes to slow gas to go gets my vote very time and of course always with the right foot lol.
michael K. •In ireland you will not pass an automatic driving test unless you only use your right leg for accelerating and braking, There are no exceptions to this rule, This was clarified to me recently as i had a client who drove with both feet in an automatic, I was told that in exceptional circumstances for someone with a physical disability and a specialy modified set of pedals then it may be considered.
Joda Collins •For those that try to justify the use of the left foot to brake, I say, "Virtually every driving school in the world teaches braking with the right foot. Every driving school has their own explanation for doing this, but most of them come down to safety. When 100% of the professional driving schools in the world teach braking with the right foot it must be a pretty good rule. Because it is safer, because this is my car, because is it my insurance and because my safety is at risk with left foot braking, I, also, only teach braking with the right foot. I would be happy to give you the many reasons if you want to. We can stop the car and discuss them. Would you like to do that, or would you be able to use your right foot for braking simply because all professional driving schools say it is safer?
If they say they need to hear the reasons first, then stop the vehicle and consume as much of their behind the wheel time stationary as you can explaining in great detail why right foot braking is bad. Start out by saying, "There are a lot of reasons. It takes quite a bit of time to clarify them all. Let me know when you have enough reasons to justify you using on the right foot for braking."
1. All vehicle insurance companies discourage the use of the left foot for braking. They must believe it is dangerous.
2. Those that use left foot braking tend to ride the brakes which wear brakes out faster and can cause the brakes to overheat.
3. In an emergency people tend to slam both feet on the floorboard. If the left foot is against the firewall and the right foot is on the brake, that is safer than the right foot fully pressing the accelerator and the left foot fully pressing the brake.
4. The left foot has four functions: left foot on floorboard provides balance, brace yourself for a crash, clutch and using parking brake as an emergency brake if your brakes fail. If your left foot is otherwise employed when braking, none of these uses can be employed.
5. Using the left foot for braking means that a driver must shift body weight in order to brake. This takes time and this added moved places the body off balance for long enough to be a problem in an emergency.
6. Using the left foot for braking and "riding the brakes" sends false signals to those behind who will so ignore your brake lights thus you are more likely to be rear ended when you do use your brakes for an emergency.
7. The older one gets, the more like the individual will experience confusion behind the wheel, therefore, the older one gets the more likely multitasking becomes dangerous. Using both feet is multitasking.
Steve Overend •I've always taught my students whether they are novices or professional drivers to plant their left foot squarely on the dead pedal to help avoid this very dangerous habit. Yes I have seen a lot of seniors do this but a lot of novices ( gamers ) are picking up the habit as well. Nothing good will ever come from 2 footed driving in an automatic. Along with the inherent dangers as pointed out above but its also brutal on your vehicle and gas mileage.
for more comments go to linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&type=member&gid=2254597&item=117287376&commentID=0&trk=eml-ntf-hero-like-my-discussion&ut=3PdxVH16BYRRA1
