Brake Foot

[biker]

The theory behind right foot only is that in an emergency, your body can have a bilateral sympathetic response. Meaning, smashing hard on the brake with your left foot may cause you to stomp on the gas with your right foot.

Very noticeable with hand clenching if you pay attention. It's part of the reason for keeping finger off trigger until you are ready to fire.

Most people who use both feet are fine after a few years of experience, but you never really know until you are in an emergency braking situation.

 

[FS87LT]

I will concur that when many cars still had manual transmissions, one could NOT use the right left foot to brake, as the extra time it would take to step over the clutch pedal would be excessive, plus you had to use the left foot to push in the clutch pedal.

By the middle 1960s, when power brakes were ordered (or standard equipment), the pedals got wider and more on the level of the accel pedal. This better-facilitated right foot braking. BUT with an un-occupied left foot, THAT foot could be used to brake with!

In my later 20s, as all of the cars I had or drove were automatics with power brakes, I soon learned (after reading about it in a car magazine) that left foot braking was very intuitive AND my reaction times were quicker. Therefore, SAFER. Especially since I kept my left foot positioned and ready for action. There were also benefits in cold/icy weather as I could lightly apply the brakes while also keeping a little bit of throttle involved for better and safer braking. Even gently pumping the brakes while stopping and not sliding, too! The whole orientation being to keep all FOUR of the wheels turning and stopping, not unlike the ABS brake systems do via computer and sensors, just an analog version.

Now that my driving style is more relaxed and predictive, I have gone back to right foot braking, generally. BUT there are times when left foot braking is still used, if needed.

There are NO rules other than what works best for YOU and how you drive. IF you might road race . . . you know about trail braking and such, needing to keep the engine powered through corners for better exit speeds and lower lap times.

I look at left foot braking as a sort of "continuous improvement" for me, as I have automatic transmission cars.

Enjoy!
FS87LT

 

[Fbird]

I think it depends on how frequently a person drives a CLUTCH car. It is a tale tell sign of a CLUTCHER to get in the automatic car with power brakes....and instantly lock up the brakes almost biting the steering wheel and surely scaring the hell out of their mother because that LEFT FOOT was ready to jump in the action come time to brake....lol

Now there are times to USE both feet on the 2 pedals but not really in "NORMAL" drive mode.

 

[ssupercoolss]

i use both feet for braking, and switch on and off, as weird as it sounds. my 55, both with a manual and now an auto, im primarily a left foot braker. in the cars beginning it had a tendency to want to stall at idle, so my right foot was always there to blip the throttle. that problem has long gone away, but for some reason the right foot in that car is still primarily for gas. Im a right foot braker in the Camaro, unless im on the highway, in traffic, and thinking some quick braking may be required, my left foot is hovering over the brake pedal.

im pretty sure all of this stems from running equipment from a pretty young age, where you do use both feet for hydraulic functions, or brake steering.

 

[mallard]

All we ever had when I was a kid were manual trans cars so that was what I learned to drive with (including time before I could 'lawfully' drive). The first ever automatic trans car I drove was the drivers' ed 68 Chevelle. I had an awful time NOT using my left foot on the brake so the habit stuck to this day. I think it's simply because of my using the left foot on the clutch in my early learning time that I just never broke the habit.

 

['70 Z/28 RS]

All we ever had when I was a kid were manual trans cars so that was what I learned to drive with (including time before I could 'lawfully' drive). The first ever automatic trans car I drove was the drivers' ed 68 Chevelle. I had an awful time NOT using my left foot on the brake so the habit stuck to this day. I think it's simply because of my using the left foot on the clutch in my early learning time that I just never broke the habit.

Wish I had that car when I took drivers ed. Car I learned on in school was a stock '76 Ford Maverick, automatic. Only thing good about it that I remember was that it was recently bought, so it still had that new car smell and it did have some good A/C in it. Was Summer when I drove it.

 

[biker]

Wish I had that car when I took drivers ed. Car I learned on in school was a stock '76 Ford Maverick, automatic. Only thing good about it that I remember was that it was recently bought, so it still had that new car smell and it did have some good A/C in it. Was Summer when I drove it.

1979 Mercury Monarch for me. I think I made the poor instructor brake with both feet on the passenger side.

 

['70 Z/28 RS]

1979 Mercury Monarch for me. I think I made the poor instructor brake with both feet on the passenger side.

LOL, I didn't cause mine to do that, but she did grab the wheel on her side once, because she said I was too close to a person on a bicycle, which was a load of crap. I thought I had plenty of room.