all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 12:33
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - barney100

The left foot auto braking debate rumbles on, I use the right foot foot for the accelerator and the brake. It feels natural, when braking the right foot is removed from the accelerator removing any chance of increasing forward motion. I have tried left foot braking on a quiet road and I find it's nowhere near as controlled or instinctive as the right foot. Manual drivers use the right for the accelerator and the brake so why change if you get an auto? I don't doubt some people are fine with the left foot, what do other auto drivers think?

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 12:45
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Alby Back
I'm not going to be much help here because I do both. Generally speaking I use only my right foot when on the move, but tend to use my left foot to brake when parking or doing something fiddly. Having said all that, if I'm really pressing on and reliving my misspent driving youth on a twisty road, I'll left foot brake then too in an effort to impress myself. Sad really I suppose.

In truth I don't think about it much and just do what feels comfortable at the time.
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Wed 28 Mar 2018 12:54
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - badbusdriver

I personally don't use my left foot for the brake, but that's because like most, I learned on a manual. Also, I use a manual van for my work, so trying to learn myself to left foot brake in the car makes no sense. But if a new driver passes his or her test on an automatic, why not?, two feet, two pedals. Whatever works best for you. Another point though, I was a bus driver for a number of years and most now are automatic, but the layout means left foot braking is not really workable unless you have small feet and sit squint!. The accelerator and brake pedal are to the right of the steering column (which goes pretty much straight down) and if it is a manual, clutch pedal is to the left. Same goes for trucks.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:05
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Alby Back
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I always thought that was why brake pedals on autos were usually wider, so that you can comfortably use either foot depending on either what you're doing, or just preference.

I sometimes left foot brake in manuals too, if I'm feeling a bit boy ( old man ) racerish.

Not especially proud of that mind you. I don't even have a Audi as an excuse...

;-)
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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:06
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - RichT54

I had a couple of automatics back in the 70s and then all manuals until last November. I seem to remember occasionally using left foot braking in the old automatics, but I've only been using right foot braking in the new car. After nearly 40 years of driving manuals, right foot braking just seems normal.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:20
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - badbusdriver

I believe in the new Nissan leaf, you can get by for the most part with very little use of the brake pedal at all, wth the regenerative braking operating when you simply lift off the throttle pedal.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:28
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - nellyjak

I have never used left foot braking..and I've been driving autos for 50 years.!

Just doesn't see right to me.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:29
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Brit_in_Germany

I left foot braked just after I switched from manual to automatic - it was more of a reflex action with the left foot wanting to depress the clutch and needless to say resulted in rather abrupt braking. Having trained the left foot to stay still, I am now a right foot braker.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:40
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Gibbo_Wirral
Same, as I have size 14 feet! Never really understood the large brake pedal, and never left foot braked intentionally.
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Wed 28 Mar 2018 13:50
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - catsdad
Like Brit I've depressed the clutch on an occasional auto with similar outcomes.

There does seem to be an issue with older drivers of autos confusing the brake and accelerator if they right foot brake. However if you get into the habit of left foot auto braking arent you just swapping one risk for another? A left foot braker going back to a manual is liable to "brake" using the clutch pedal.

I guess it comes down to what works best for the individual. For me right foot braking will be my continued practice but I can see both points of view.

Edited by catsdad on 28/03/2018 at 13:51

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 14:09
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Bromptonaut

Only driven automatics occasionally; parent's cars and a hire car in the states.

My Mother learned to drive when you still got a full licence if doing the test in an auto. She was taught to tuck her left foot right out of the way where it couldn't easily be used involuntarily.

Own experience in older auto's with TC boxes was that other than very occasionaly in close quarter manouvering and/or where cold start choke was giving an unnaturally fast 'creep' never needed left foot near brake. Perhaps for hill hold too instead of handbrake.

The Nissan we had for a fortnight in Texas last year was a cvt jobbie. Other than inadvertently before I was off the hire lot I never touched brake with left foot. Doing so gave an excellent demonstration of Newtonian physics with Mrs B being restrained by her seat belt form headung straight for the wincscreen.

Definitely right foot only with caveat for close quarter stuff in/out of parking places.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 14:28
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Engineer Andy

I left foot braked just after I switched from manual to automatic - it was more of a reflex action with the left foot wanting to depress the clutch and needless to say resulted in rather abrupt braking. Having trained the left foot to stay still, I am now a right foot braker.

Same with me - Whilst my current car is a manual, I test drove an auto last year, and my left foot kept on going for the invisible clutch pedal every time I pulled up to a halt, with the right foot doing the braking. I *might* be able to teach myself to use my left foot for braking on an auto for low speed manouvering, like parking, but I think it's far, far easier as BBD and others have said if you've learned on or driven an auto (as well as a manual) from a young age. I think it would be difficult for me to learn, even though I'm not of the 'old dog' age quite yet, new tricks and all that...

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 15:21
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Ian_SW

My own car is a manual, but for some reason the hire company used by my work have decided I like driving automatics, so drive them quite regularly.

In most autos, I find there isn't enough room in the footwell to confortably left foot brake in normal driving, either banging feet together, or my knee on the steering column. I think this is down to there not usually being any space to the right of the accellerator, and the brake pedal being mounted or angled slightly right of centre.

When parking, reversing etc, with proper autos which creep, I feel fully in control just using my right foot (on the brake, gently releasing as needed) However the Dual Clutch type are less predictable for this, so I tend to rest my left foot on the brake in case I do need to touch the accellerator to make it move or stop it rolling back.

The main problem I have is when I get back in my own car after a few hundred miles of auto hire car. I usually forget to drop the clutch to stop at least once and stall the car! Daft given I've driven my own car far more often than an auto. I'm still also getting over a car (i800) I had about 6 months ago where the indicator stalk was on the right hand side of the steering wheel. Even now when there's a lot going on I sometimes put the wipers on by accident when I want to indicate. This is despite only having the i800 for 2 days and driving about 250 miles in it. I must have driven at least 10000 miles since then with the indicator stalk back on the left but still sometimes get it wrong, despite having spent over 20 years and driving half a million miles driving with it that way round first and never getting it wrong!!

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 15:56
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - movilogo

I like foot operated parking brake in autos.

This provides some tasks for left foot. Else it will be idle and we know idle foot is looking for somewhere to press :-)

Alternative, makers can proivde a pressable left foot rest - even though it won't do anything.

That'll be end of left foot braking discussion.

PS: Yes I do if sometimes but that beause of reason stated above. Never found any need for doing it though.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 16:07
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Manatee

I naturally right-foot-brake and it's not a habit I want to change. I can't believe that it wouldn't increase the chances of me hitting the wrong pedal. I have tried left-foot-braking and thought it unlikely that it would improve my driving in any way.

I can heel-and-toe easily enough on most cars and double-declutch when I need to, and that's as far as fancy footwork goes with me.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 16:57
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Squirrel tail

Been driving automatics approx twenty-five years. The only time my left foot (intentionally) touches the brake pedal is when some plonker drives too close behind. Strangely, I still sometimes press the "clutch" pedal when slowing down for traffic islands, etc.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 18:15
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - colinh

Driving LHD automatics, where there's a wider pedal box, usually there's a foot rest on the wheel arch for the left foot; so it would slower to move that foot to the brake

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 18:26
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - xtrailman

If you are wanting to use both feet buy a manual car.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 18:37
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - gordonbennet

I've only ever used LFB a couple of times during extreme maneuvers when loading a car transporter, other than that i agree completely with the majority, left foot out of the way.

Most large lorries now have auto (well automated manual, but without the ticking time bomb wallet emptying unreliability) gearboxes, and as above re buses they are most definately designed to discourage LFB by the steering column.

Apart from Volvo who have chosen to ruin their new lorries with a pointless electric parking brake in all proper lorries you can use the secondary brake which is the the first part of movement of the parking brake lever, to help control hill starts and maneuvers.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 19:31
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - KB.

Right only.

Never left.

(As was mentioned above, I do, very occasionally, find my left foot twitches and thinks it wants to reach for the clutch pedal despite the fact there isn't one ... it did it a day or so ago ... and I've not driven a manual regularly for about eight years).

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 21:19
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - KJP 123

Well, it seems that just about everyone here right foot brakes despite HJ’s recommendation to the contrary.

My car is a manual and my wife’s an auto and I feel switching between the two that left foot braking may be confusing. In fact it just feels wrong and I never did it when we just had the one car, the auto. My wife right foot brakes and she has driven only autos for over 20 years. Most of my family have driven autos for years and I don’t think any of them left foot brake so it’s not just those who switch or are new to autos.

When manoeuvring I use the handbrake, old fashioned ratchet type which is well suited for this, but have tried left foot braking in these circumstances, can’t remember why, and it felt quite unnatural: I really had to concentrate on my feet, no doubt to the detriment of concentration elsewhere like mirrors.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 22:07
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - badbusdriver

Somebody mentioned earlier about tucking the left foot under the edge of the seat to avoid automatic 'newbies' inadvertantly pressing the brake pedal instead of the clutch. My Dad had to do that for a while after buying a his 1st auto, a MK2 granada estate. I never needed to do that myself, possibly because i'd only been driving about 6 months when i 1st atarted driving auto's after getting a job at a Saab dealership. We had quite a few automatic demonstrators, and the old 900GLE we used as a hack to drop off customers, etc was also an auto, so it became 2nd nature quick enough.

But the only time i ever even tried to left foot brake was during a snowy spell. I took my Saab 99 onto the enormous car park at the Aberdeen exhibition centre to have a 'play', but unfortunately the 99's handbrake acted on the front wheels so the only way i could get the rear sliding was to do it rally style. Didn't get the hang of it, and the police turned up to chase us (there was half a dozen or so others who had the same idea as me!) away.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 22:20
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Alby Back
So, does anyone know, or even have another theory, as to why the brake pedal on an auto is wider than on a manual? I've always assumed it was to allow comfortable use of the brake with either foot depending on driver preference or what they are doing. As I said above, I use either foot depending on circumstances or even just mood. Never give it too much thought in truth.
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Wed 28 Mar 2018 23:28
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Bromptonaut
So, does anyone know, or even have another theory, as to why the brake pedal on an auto is wider than on a manual?

I'd always assumed it was to facilitate use of left foot in the close quarter manouvre or hill start scenario mentioned above but no more than that.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 22:22
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - veryoldbear

I had never driven an automatic until one day in about 1975 (plus / minus a bit) I picked up a hire car at LAX. In those days American cars just didn't do "stick shift". I can't even remember what sort of car it was (you don't after the long haul LHR - LAX).

Anyway, drove off in the general direction of San Diego. Tried left foot braking at the first set of red lights and nearly knocked me teeth out on the dashboard.

Never looked back.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 23:44
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - marcus gault

manual or auto, I brake with my right foot,

I only ever used my left foot to touch the brake in the manual galaxy, this merely to cancel the cruise control, quite why, I cannot remember.

I would confidently state, that at 60 years of age, advising people to left foot brake will almost certainly causes more accidents, than it could ever prevent.

Nor can I understand how it allows for faster brake response or better vehicle control, to use ones left foot to brake.

Which whole left leg/right leg process is illogical.

the left foot "stabs" the clutch pedel, then releases slowley to feed in the next gear.

The right foot caresses the throttle and indeed the brake.

Only in an emergency does the right foot "stab" the brake.

so

right foot braking it is then

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 01:14
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Engineer Andy

manual or auto, I brake with my right foot,

I only ever used my left foot to touch the brake in the manual galaxy, this merely to cancel the cruise control, quite why, I cannot remember.

I would confidently state, that at 60 years of age, advising people to left foot brake will almost certainly causes more accidents, than it could ever prevent.

Nor can I understand how it allows for faster brake response or better vehicle control, to use ones left foot to brake.

Which whole left leg/right leg process is illogical.

the left foot "stabs" the clutch pedel, then releases slowley to feed in the next gear.

The right foot caresses the throttle and indeed the brake.

Only in an emergency does the right foot "stab" the brake.

so

right foot braking it is then

Good point Marcus.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 13:19
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - badbusdriver

manual or auto, I brake with my right foot,

I only ever used my left foot to touch the brake in the manual galaxy, this merely to cancel the cruise control, quite why, I cannot remember.

I would confidently state, that at 60 years of age, advising people to left foot brake will almost certainly causes more accidents, than it could ever prevent.

Nor can I understand how it allows for faster brake response or better vehicle control, to use ones left foot to brake.

Which whole left leg/right leg process is illogical.

the left foot "stabs" the clutch pedel, then releases slowley to feed in the next gear.

The right foot caresses the throttle and indeed the brake.

Only in an emergency does the right foot "stab" the brake.

so

right foot braking it is then

As far as i am aware, on a car with a manual gearbox and cruise control, pressing either the brake or clutch pedal will disengage the cruise control, as, obviously, will pressing 'cancel' on the stalk. The 1st car we had with cruise control was a meriva turbo diesel, it had a manual gearbox, and i would press the clutch pedal to disengage it. Problem was, when driving home in our next car, a hyundai i30 turbo diesel auto, i instinctively did what i thought was the same thing, but obviously was the brake pedal!. So ever since then i use the cancel button on the stalk.

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 23:56
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - focussed

Left foot braking on a car with an automatic gearbox is a technique used to keep control of the car when manoevering in tight spaces - not for normal driving.

It's use depends entirely on how the car behaves when in gear and the engine is idling.

Some cars will not need a touch of gas to move slowly, some will not and may tend to want to charge off, especially older cars in automatic cold start mode.

If the car needs gas pedal to move, to avoid using just the right foot and going gas/brake/gas/brake, use gentle left foot brake and right foot gas pedal.

No need for a vote, look what happened the last two times the UK had a vote!

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Wed 28 Mar 2018 23:59
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - ifekas

I have driven an auto for the last couple of the years and don't left foot brake. I can't understand how not left foot braking is supposed to be dangerous when in a car with a clutch and manual transmission, one doesn't do that anyway.

Last year I went on a dirt buggy track thing in Birmingham, and we were instructed that in general left foot braking would enable faster times due to having more control and faster response. On some laps I tried left foot braking, and on others I didn't. In fact, I did get find left foot braking better in that scenario and got faster lap times and probably had better control; but on trying this with my car I didn't find the benefits translated in normal day to day driving so I reverted to my normal driving technique. Like all things, one needs to weigh things and make an informed decision, rather than just believing what one or more people say.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 00:02
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - John Boy

I've driven an auto exclusively for the last ten years. I like the reasons for doing left foot braking, but find it too difficult in practise.

I know that people, who change to an auto in later life, have a tendency to press the accelerator instead of the brake in certain circumstances, but I don't understand why. Can anyone explain?

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 12:38
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Avant

Our actions when driving are instinctive - particularly important when it comes to braking which one might have to do in an emergency. HJ gives plenty of logical reasons for LFB, with which I'd agree provided you only drive automatics.

We have both automatic and manual cars in our household, and being naturally risk-averse I prefer to stick to braking with my right foot.

All the automatics I've driven have had enough space in the footwell so that if you do put a foot on the imaginary clutch, it gos into empty space rather than the brake pedal. Older cars were narrower and I suppose carried a greater risk of an accidental slam on the brake.

I can only assume that wide brake pedals are fitted on automatics for convenience and safety: in a manual there isn't room in the average footwell for a wider one, and you need to minimise the risk of someone with big feet treading on the wrong pedal.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 12:55
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - barney100

Thanks for the responses, seems the majority of back room auto drivers mainly use the right foot on the brake.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 16:01
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - movilogo

>> why the brake pedal on an auto is wider

During an emergency, often it is necessary to stop rather than going faster! Hence, the brake pedal is wider to facilitate that. In fact, during emergency braking, it is advisable to use both feet on brake to apply a higher force.

You can't have wider brake pedal in manual because of clutch.

I know some people do left foot braking in manual e.g. hill start. I never managed to do that succesfully. Always stalled engine. I found it much easier to sync release of handbrake and clutch at the same time for hill start.

Thankfully, with most modern cars now offering HAC, such acrobatics is no longer necessary.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 16:37
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - coopshere
Have driven both for may years and always have and will right foot brake. It may be OK if you learn to drive in an automatic but to switch after driving manuals is, in my opinion, positively dangerous. I have never been driven by or know of anyone who brakes with the left foot.
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Thu 29 Mar 2018 19:24
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Pondlife

I'm a right foot braker.

I learned on a manual in the 1970s, and drove manuals exclusively until the early 2000s when I switched to exclusively auto (classic t/c auto boxes).

My daughter learned on a manual about five years ago, and now I drive both manual and auto: her manual car for local trips, and my auto for longer trips.She will only drive manuals, and considers autos to be pointless; which is the same as I felt when I was her age.

I've tried left foor braking in autos, but never got on with it.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 22:56
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Big John

I'm a right foot only person for accelerator and the brake with an auto. I tried left foot braking for a while with my first auto but found the transition between multiple company pool cars (auto and manual) a bit of an issue.

Fortunately for low speed manovering I do have a natural feature - wide size 13 shoes. After many early years of driving old carb cars (Cortinas, Capris, Vivas etc) that didn't tickover well (too much or not enough) when cold - I "automatically" developed a driving technique using the left side of my foot on the brake and the right side of my foot on the go pedal - worked with both manual and auto cars.

Edited by Big John on 29/03/2018 at 22:57

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 23:15
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - Alby Back
Quite interesting though, if you think about it, that the main reason most above seem to giving to not left foot brake, is the avoidance of "confusion" if I'm reading the comments correctly?

And yet, I'd bet that many of those who say that, are also perfectly capable of of riding a bike, or a motorbike, and easily adapt themselves to controls which are differently arranged or operated without especially thinking about it.

I brake autos with either foot, steer any car with either hand, or if I'm feeling virtuous, both hands, change gear on RHD manual cars with my left hand, and with my right hand on LHD cars, without encountering any confusion, as I'm quite sure, or would imagine anyway, most people can. So I'm just struggling a little bit to understand why choosing to brake with either foot would cause any particular difficulty. Not that there's anything wrong with having a preference of course.

I'm of the view that provided it's safe, do what feels right at the time. Driving is pretty easy really, it must be mustn't it, when you look at some of the people who have licences...
;-)

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Mon 2 Apr 2018 13:22
all - Auto L foot braking...lets have a vote - bluezzr1100

I was recently castigated for left-foot braking. Actually just touching the brake pedal to get the brake lights illuminated when being tailgated-as so often happens. It usually works especially if you accelerate at the same time bt the idiots usually get wise to this so I then slow down to a speed where 5 yards = 2 seconds until they get the message.

For anyone used to driving a manual the left foot is used to operate the clutch which requires a bit of effort so if you used your left foot on the brake you would probably skid to a very sudden halt. It feels less controlled to me especially with the designer's propensity for very sensitive brake servos these days.

Heel and toe anyone?!

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