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Using left-foot braking in an automatic is much more efficient in traffic, and faster away from the lights.
I passed my IAM test in 1985. I had arranged a test at short notice and was tested by the chief examiner who remarked that he had never seen anyone braking an automatic with the left foot before. I still do it and believe it gives me much greater control, not only in manoeuvring but also in day-to-day driving. Less stress and quicker application of the relevant pedal. There is a significant reduction in stress in heavy traffic, e.g. M25 rush hour, and as a by-product I'm much faster away from the lights than some surprised sports car drivers. To reassure doubters I also drive a manual car on a regular basis and have no trouble in braking them with my left foot. It takes time to learn the skill but it’s worth the effort. Many thanks for your column.
Asked on 22 October 2010 by CT, via email
Answered by
Honest John
Absolutely. That’s how dyed-in-the-wool with dogma some of these old police driving instructors are. The critics are mainly confused elderly people who just can't get their heads around it but judge everyone else by their lack of coordination, then get offended when I remind them of this. To rub this home a littler deeper I recently beat a race instructor’s right foot stopping distance by left-foot braking, though he later admitted he had been told to right-foot brake to provide a constant. He would normally have left-foot braked like anyone with any degree of real driving skill. Video proof at www.honestjohn.co.uk
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