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N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - sammy1

Left foot braking is the only way to remain fully in control of an automatic two-pedal car at all times. You have two feet. The car has two pedals. What could be more stupid than using one foot to control two pedals and leaving the other foot redundant? Why allow the car to travel for a second or two under power and out of control while you move your right foot from accelerator to brake? Even at 20mph a car travels 9 metres (20 feet) in the ‘thinking distance’ required to move a right foot from accelerator to brake. Left foot brake and you eliminate that thinking distance entirely. Every year, dozens, if not scores of pedestrians are killed by foolish, arrogant, or otherwise deluded elderly drivers who do not have the cranial capacity or co-ordination to properly control their limbs. We did some tests in a C63 AMG at Mercedes Benz World in May this year and by left foot braking I was able to brake much faster than any of the right foot brakers simply because the 'Highway Code' ‘Thinking Distance’ is completely eliminated. I'm right and I've proved it and anyone who ignores me could be the next to cause an unnecessary death

Sorry if you have read this over and over in HJ column but I must take issue with the nonsense about thinking distance being entirely eliminated with is LFB. Surely if you have an emergency braking issue both feet are connected to your brain and you react with your favoured foot to the brake peddle. Most people are right handed/right footed and you are hard wired to this. In an emergency you come off the accelerator with the right and onto the brake with the right. With HJ he does not mention what happens to his right foot! There is obviously no way to eliminate thinking distance as HJ states

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - focussed

You and Mercedes world or whatever have entirely the wrong concept of left foot braking when driving an automatic car. It has nothing whatsoever to do with emergency braking or reaction times or thinking distance etc.

It is just a means of controlling the speed of an automatic vehicle when maneuvering or parking at slow speed instead of the right foot possibly jumping from throttle to brake and brake to throttle with the possibility of treading on the throttle at the wrong moment leading to unwanted acceleration, panic ensuing and a possible collision.

When at normal speed, just use the right foot.

I was an authorised driving instructor and used to teach automatics and manuals.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - gordonbennet

I was completely against LFB, but following a recent incident in my town (chap losing at least one leg) i've changed my mind about covering the brake with the left foot at slow/maneuvering speeds.

Those awful completely unfit for purpose automated manuals especially this is good practice IMHO.

At speed i still disagree, especially for those who have been driving (often manual cars) forever and then transfer onto an automatic of some sort in later years, can't see how you could adequately retrain your left leg.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Engineer Andy

You and Mercedes world or whatever have entirely the wrong concept of left foot braking when driving an automatic car. It has nothing whatsoever to do with emergency braking or reaction times or thinking distance etc.

It is just a means of controlling the speed of an automatic vehicle when maneuvering or parking at slow speed instead of the right foot possibly jumping from throttle to brake and brake to throttle with the possibility of treading on the throttle at the wrong moment leading to unwanted acceleration, panic ensuing and a possible collision.

When at normal speed, just use the right foot.

I was an authorised driving instructor and used to teach automatics and manuals.

The problem I found (in my 40s) was that when I used my left foot for braking, even at very low speeds in my company car park (I deliberately chose that to test it on a Saturday when no-one was around and I had lots of room) my left foot tended to 'stab' at the brakes, because that's the motion, essentially on/off, other than holding the biting point for moving off, that I'd use that foot for on a manual car.

The 'finesse' for your left foot is when you disengauge the clutch to find the biting point (e.g. on a hill start), not applying the clutch, and thus the same goes for the brake. To me, it's very difficult to un-learn that movement. Its the reason why computer game and aircraft joysticks and buttons are designed for specific hands - if we kept swapping over, you'd never get the correct levels of force and finesse (muscle memory) to effectively use them, because each are used in a different way.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Terry W

It takes as long to move your left foot from its normal position on the footrest/floor to the brake pedal as it does to move from accelerator to brake. So no discernable improvement in reaction times - unless you drive with your left foot hovering over the brake (on a track?).

It also means that if you mix manual and auto driving, the left foot is used to depressing the clutch and does not have the sensitivity of the right when braking.

The benefit is at low speed - eg:parking or in traffic - particularly on a gradient where "creep" tends not to move the car as it would on the level.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Engineer Andy

Whilst I appreciate you taking the trouble to make an honest response, unfortunately this 'issue' has been effectively 'done to death' in both the Backroom and in the comments area below HJ's weekly collumn for many months now, given people continually write to him on this subject and he gives his similar response each time.

Do a search on the Backroom forum to see why many of us are not likely to contrinute much to this discussion, mainly because we've discussed in many times before. I believe the consensus was that its a YMMV issue - not everyone appears to have the finesse with their left foot to judge braking that way, especially for drivers who've used their right foot in that was for many years.

It's not easy changing over - I had a go once during a couple of back-to-bcak test drives of some new cars and found it difficult. probably easier to re-learn if you're younger and haven't been using the fott-foot method for decades, especially if you are changing from a manula to an auto car, as I was thinking of doing (and still want to for my next one). In my case, my left foot kept on pressing a non-existing/phantom clutch pedal every time I slowed to a stop! I could only manage very jerky braking using my left foot, something that I certainly wouldn't be 'learning' whilst travelling at more than 10mph.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - barney100
Yep, done to death. I've been an auto driver for many years and left foot braking is damned dangerous if I do it. Right foot braking has a huge advantage, the foot leaves the accelerator.
N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - dan86

Try doing left foot breaking in a lorry, its damn bear impossible.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - badbusdriver

Try doing left foot breaking in a lorry, its damn bear impossible.

Or a bus!

Only time i have even tried to do left foot braking was almost 30 years ago. I had started working at a Saab dealer and bought an old 99 that had been traded in. One Sunday morning in winter, i went to the enormous car park at the exhibition centre in Aberdeen to have a 'lark about'. That was when i discovered the 99's handbrake worked on the front wheels and the only way i could slide the back end, was left foot braking, a-la-Erik Carlsson, i mean how hard could it be?.

Couldn't manage it at all!, and just looked on in envy at some bloke who obviously had the same idea, but was driving a Volvo 360GLT.........!

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - sammy1

The point of my post has little to do with braking left or right footed it is to do with HJ telling people that his LFB TOTALLY ELIMINATES THINKING DISTANCE which has nothing to do with parking but so called reaction times in emergency braking.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - craig-pd130

The point of my post has little to do with braking left or right footed it is to do with HJ telling people that his LFB TOTALLY ELIMINATES THINKING DISTANCE which has nothing to do with parking but so called reaction times in emergency braking.

If you were to drive with the left foot poised near the brake (i.e. not on the footrest that many autobox cars have), you eliminate much of the time needed to move the right foot from throttle to brake - what you might call the 'action time', but I agree you don't eliminate the 'thinking distance.'

If your left foot is placed on the car's footrest, then there's no difference at all between left and right-foot braking, the thinking time is the same and the 'action time' involved in moving the foot from its current position and hitting the brake pedal is the same too.

I do LFB in my own car, it is handy (ha!) at low speeds in tight car parks etc, and on congested roads and motorways I do hover my left foot over the brake pedal.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - nellyjak

Been driving automatics for 50 years..I have never used LFB...never will...I doubt I could "retrain" my left foot now anyway.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - groaver

I bite nearly every time in the Q&A section.

I pretty sure now, it's just click-bait for HJ. :)

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Bromptonaut

LFB TOTALLY ELIMINATES THINKING DISTANCE

Nonsense, utter utter rubbish. If HJ is saying that he needs removing from the controls of an influential motoring column.

Thinking distance is the time taken to recognise and act on the need for unplanned heavy braking.

By all means add a fraction of a second, and it's no more, to get right foot to pedal but do so only if you're constantly riding the brake pedal.

Most of us driving an auto stow our left foot either where it would be in a manual or further away so as to mitigate chance of going for a non existent clutch.

The only time left foot should be near brake is to control creep in close quarter/slow speed manoeuvres.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 13/10/2019 at 11:11

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Manatee

A good driver doesn't drive on his or her reactions (I except 'on the limit' drivers such as Lewis Hamilton on a Sunday afternoon).

Having both hands on the wheel would be better place to start for most drivers.

I drive auto and manual, often during the same day. should I train my left foot to brake in an emergency, I seriously doubt whether it would remember which car it was in when the emergency arose.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - gordonbennet

No one thought of the problem of manual drivers of many years stuffing the right foot down on the throttle at the same time the left foot hits the brake in an emergency situation, the latest cars might cut the power when you apply the brakes but not all cars do, some RWD cars have enough power to overcome the efforts of the rear brakes, as those of us old enough to have driven old RWD autos on fast idle on a cold morning might recall...where braking on an icy road whilst the car was still providing more than adequate propulsion was quite an unnerving experience.

It might be interesting to experiment to see if your car is capable of providing power if you press the throttle at the same time as LFB'ing, i don't need to tell you this is best checked somewhere quiet.:-)

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Manatee

It might be interesting to experiment to see if your car is capable of providing power if you press the throttle at the same time as LFB'ing, i don't need to tell you this is best checked somewhere quiet.:-)

The MX-5 doesn't cut the power IIRC, the automatic Outlander does.

I'm pretty sure the previous manual Outlander did, but it was seemingly intelligent enough to permit heel and toe downchanges.

I've certainly driven something recently that cut the power if the brake was pressed but would allow power to be applied while braking (I was drying the brakes!). Can't remember what it was.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Happy Blue!

I drive manual and automatic cars interchangeably. I have left foot braked in the automatics for at least 15+ years I have developed the finesse required and have never crashed due to foot braking either at 5mph or 75mph. It's easy and safe and more importantly comfortable.

In any rental car I drive I don't even think about it, it is natural for me now. But the one car I was not able to do it in was a Qashqai where the position of the pedal meant I simply could not do it even when thinking about it, it was that awkward.

No point getting all angry at HJ he speaks as he finds and I for one agree with him.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - thunderbird

I remember dad buying his first auto and he nearly destroyed it on the test drive. After probably 30 years of manuals every junction nearly put us through the screen as he mashed the brake pedal down to the floor with both feet. He bought the car but always tucked his left foot under the seat after that. Gave up on autos after destroying his 2nd one in the garage at home. In 65 years of driving he only had 3 accidents one of which was not his fault but the final one (in a manual) ended his driving career, guess the un-diagnosed vascular dementia contributed.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - John F

AFAIK the only situation when left foot braking is desirable has not been mentioned. It is to delicately drive onto a short steep car ramp.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - MGspannerman

I have read the discussions on LFB many times in the various HJ columns, questions etc. I can only agree how tedious it all is, but also laughably simplistic,

I am intrigued by his claim that you can eliminate the thinking required to undertake braking. The distance is, of course, simply a consequence of the thinking but thinking is still needed, There is inevitably a cognitive process required in observing and responding to a perceived threat, be it conscious or sub-conscious.

To claim that an (unscientific) experiment carried out in the completely artificial circumstances of some sort of test track, Mercedes Benz World I believe is mentioned, proves the point is simply not valid. The difference circumstances of a test track and a driver anticipating an emergency stop and real world experience are just too different.

i think HJ has made a valuable contribution with his writing and website and I respect his opinion, but unfortunately not on this topic,

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Avant

This has been debated on here many times before, and I don't think this thread has added anything new.

It's important not to get too worked up about this issue, which ultimately has to be at least partly down to personal preference. I can absolutely see the advantages of LFB if you always drive an auto, and would recommend it for the reasons given by HJ and others.

But like many other people, we have one of each (SWMBO doesn't like autos) so personally I prefer to use the same foot for braking in both cars. On the other hand, Happy Blue above has no trouble with LFB in one car and RFB in another. Every human being is different (an important but underrated fact).

The important thing surely is for everyone to do what is instinctive, and is therefore quicker in an emergency.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - John F

This has been debated on here many times before, and I don't think this thread has added anything new.

I think my post added something new.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - groaver

It's important not to get too worked up about this issue, which ultimately has to be at least partly down to personal preference.

The important thing surely is for everyone to do what is instinctive, and is therefore quicker in an emergency.

I agree.

Alas, there's some awfully emotive language used as advice:

I'm right and I've proved it and anyone who ignores me could be the next to cause an unnecessary death.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Bromptonaut

I agree.

Alas, there's some awfully emotive language used as advice:

I'm right and I've proved it and anyone who ignores me could be the next to cause an unnecessary death.

That's pretty much same point as mine when ridiculing assertion that LFB eliminates thinking distance.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 14/10/2019 at 22:16

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Leif
Unfortunately HJ has a few obsessions, LFB being one of them. I once had an accident in an auto due to LFB and my consequent lack of control. I now prefer to avoid autos. I’m not daft enough to assume LFB is always dangerous based on my experience, but it can be dangerous. HJ has simplistic views on a few issues. He has another favourite obsession which slips my mind, sadly.

Edited by Leif on 15/10/2019 at 00:08

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - Bromptonaut
He has another favourite obsession which slips my mind, sadly.

Varifocal glasses which he confuses with old fashioned bifocals.

N/A - LFB Left foot braking autos HJ column - madf

Varifoclas changed my life...My 25% magnification in the near sight lenses, I can see small objects much eaiser...(bee eggs and v young larvae 1mm long) . Great for delicate work as well...like sewing or soldering fine wires.