When I took my driver's test in California back in 1972 it was Illegal to use your left foot on the brake. They failed my friend on his test for using the left foot on the brake.....that was back in 72, the laws may have changed.

 

If a person is left handed wouldn't they favor their left foot as well ?

 

I'm left handed and I don't use my left foot to brake. Favoring it has nothing to do with driving. I also only use my right hand to shift gears. If you use proper technique, you don't even think about using your left foot. Left footed braking hurts gas mileage as well as increasing brake and drivetrain wear.

 

Guys, just because we use our left foot to hit the brake pedal does not mean that we gas and brake at the same time...I just know I can hit the brakes quicker this way if I need to...It works for me...Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

Even though I'm 'left footed' (kick with my left foot), I try not to use my left foot cause I just can't get the same feeling as I do with my right foot.

But in my mustang, its an auto with a manual valve body and after market shifter, I always hold the brake down hard with my left foot when i start it and at stops, just in case the shifter cable came loose or I forgot to move it all the way to park (no neutral safetly switch), I feel like Its kinda like hitting the clutch when starting a manual.

 

I was taught in driver's ed class that if you brake with your left foot, it takes longer for your brain to react. You also might power brake in an emergency. Yet, I still am a left footer. Actually no, I'll switch it up...kinda depends on my mood.

 

The only time I can think of is with an automatic if you are trying to back up real close to something and you are going up hill or in loose dirt where the vehicle won't move without giving it gas. I can control it better if I have my left foot ready to use the brake. Like I said before in normal driving I ALWAYS brake with my right foot.

Stephen

 

I have heard that in most states this is an Urban legend and that there is no law. I'm not saying you are wrong, this is just what I have heard. I don't see anything unsafe about driving barefoot, especially compared to some of these heels and platform shoes girls where.

Stephen

 

I HATE LEFT FOOTED BRAKERS!
They're the ones driving down the road with the brake lights blinking on and off because their foot is resting on the brake enough to just trip the switch. I feel likE getting next to them and yelling "TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE!!!"
Sorry, Major pet peeve of mine.
I own an automatic and a stick, and have owned many of each, and never saw a reason to drive like that.
I also learned to drive in a 52 Chevy truck with a 3 on the tree, and still was taught to drive correctly.

 

As Tim mentioned it is used in many forms of competition, mainly rallying with FWD cars to get the tail to slide out.
It is fantastic technique in the wet.

Also, if you own an Auto, it enables you to hold the vehicle against the "stall point" of your vehicle.
Very handy in a vehicle like a 4x4 PSD.
You can place load on the engine, to spool up the turbo, have the throttle floored, and as soon as the lights go green, you are gone.
In a 4x2, it will just 2 (4 if its DRW) huge black lines, not that there is anything wrong with that of course...

It is also why a Auto Subaru WRX is quicker off the line than a manual, the Auto already has the turbo spinning, the manual just can't get the air flowing through the engine, and you end up dumping the clutch at 8000rpms to prevent it bogging down...
In case you haven't driven a WRX they suffer from turbo lag pretty bad.

 

OK now your beening prejudice lol, my father inlaw hits the brake lights every 5 seconds with his right foot, I feel like throwing up when he drives

 

I still wouldn't but a WRX that wasn't manual though.

 

I had heard when I was in California that it was illegal, but the following reference indicates that it is not specifically prohibited. I did find that without power brakes, it was difficult to put the brakes on as hard as you would in a panic stop. (You still might get a ticket, though. I remember coming back from the mountains after a snowfall. Several people had packed snow onto the tops of their cars to show the folks down in the city. The cops were waiting back where the road came down to the city and were giving them tickets for having the melting snow run down over their windshields. Evidently it is illegal to drive in the rain in Southern California!) Brady

http://tafkac.org/legal/driving.barefoot/driving_barefoot.html
American States



Alabama:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted. Exception: motorcycle rider.

Ohio:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted but not recommended.

California:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is not prohibited. Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming:
Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted.

 

I wouldn't drive any car/truck that wasn't a manual - period, but thats another story.

 

Ok, well, I defy anyone to drive better or smoother then I do and I brake with my left foot. I have NEVER had an accident not "lost control" of a vehicle I was driving. I drive about 50,000 miles per year covering a 5 state territory. Now, that doesn't mean I "cover" the brake or ride the brake at all times.

My point is just this, while there may be some general guidelines, in pretty much everything we do, that does not mean it is the only, or the safest, way to go for everyone. That statement sloppy and bad idea is way overgenralized. If you cannot "control" more than one thing at a time...........hmmmmmm