For the same reason that I could never play an instrument that required seperate hand tasks. Being autistic I have issues with motor skills.
Hell, I can't even rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time.
I can react very quickly with my left foot, and have avoided a ton of accidents. I also look several cars ahead and not just at the car in front of me. My dad taught me defensive driving skills.

and all the cars in front of you are behemoth SUVs...

This is why I finally gave up on my 1998 Camry and got a KIA Soul. To have a better chance of seeing what's ahead of me. But not always...

You sure can't see when that happens, so I will give more space between me and the monster gas guzzler in front.

..a car accident in 1974.
Busted my right knee & muscle weakness after surgery & therapy to restore function in my right leg, caused me to use the left foot to brake. For safety reasons of course.
The right knee was restored but out of habit I just continued using the left as my brake foot.

My response is quick.
Anyway..I agree

If you brake with your right foot, it's not on the accelerator. That's why we brake with the right foot.

If you have a standard transmission, braking with the left foot is a bad idea, especially in an emergency stop.

I dispute this article.

All the kids were taught to drive a standard...just in case. Two of them now prefer standards. And switching between cars means sticking to one style of driving or getting your reflexes confused. Plus the number of left-footed brakers I see with their brake lights on all the time...

PT Cruiser is an automatic. Right foot braking on both.

I can drive anything on wheels, and have driven almost every type of vehicle, other than a tank. My right foot is for the accelerator and brake in all vehicles. It's automatic. Off the gas and on the brake. If there's a clutch pedal, the left foot hits it at the same time in an emergency.

Left foot braking almost always leads to brake riding. Bad idea.

Lots of left foot brakers do that. Watch the taillights as you drive around. If the brake likes come on and go off, the person is riding the brakes. I see it all the time.

that for police officers, seeing the break light coming on and off is a signal that the driver is texting and should be stopped...

it's more likely that they'll be riding the brake, even if just a little. Bad for the car, and bad driving practice in normal traffic. Race drivers often use left foot braking, but that's a special case, really.

One of the first things I learned about driving was to use the gas and the brakes with my right foot. I've never had a collision that was my fault, and I've never needed expensive brake work either.

it should take the same time to hit the brake as with the right, unless their foot is always on the brake pedal. If that's the case, you'll see their brake lights flash on and off frequently, and they'll be installing new brakes far more often than they should.

That article is just stupid, really.

Yet another non-expert blogger writing about stuff he or she doesn't know anything about. That's the only thing I dislike about the Internet. Too many bogus articles appear that make little to no sense. Then, other people who don't know what they're talking about spread the misinformation around freely and widely.

diver by trade for a couple decades, I agree with you. The pedal assembly is made the way it is for just that reason, to facilitate safe reflexive actions with decades of R&D involved. My advice... If you can't drive properly, maybe you should leave the driving to someone who can.

when you brake with your left foot, your right foot is likely to push the gas petal to the floor. I can see where that would be counter productive to avoiding the object you are wishing to avoid.

I learned to drive in the late 1950's and I was taught to never use your left foot on the brake for that reason. Easier and less confusion switching between driving a standard and an automatic transmission car too.
Using the information in the OP can kill someone.

couldn't agree more, all these automatic drivers touting their nonsense

standard transmission.

.... Your local brake repair specialist.

Not to mention the multiple ways that doing so could also cause an accident.

Who thinks he/she's discovered some great new "life hack".

There's a reason why Driver Ed instructors haven't been teaching left foot braking for more than 50 years. Because it's a bad idea all around, for all the reasons mentioned in this thread.

I have been explaining this to my family(mainly my wife) why it is best and safest.
I have been a Crane Operator for over 20 years and use both feet all day long, so it is an easy transition for me.

A LOT of people who use their left foot to brake end up riding their brakes. This creates several major safety issues.

- Premature brake wear. Riding the brakes causes the brakes to wear out faster, increasing the likelihood that they will malfunction when needed in an emergency.

- Brake overheating. Brakes stop cars by converting mechanical energy into heat. If you ride your brakes, they get hot. Anyone who has ever experienced brake fade can tell you what a terrifying experience that is.

- Brakelight desensitization. Riding the brakes means that your brakelights are always turning on. The drivers behind you will eventually adapt to this and tune your brake lights out. When you DO have to actually stop, it will take the driver behind you several moments to realize that your car is actually decelerating and slow their own car. This increases the chance that you'll get rear ended.

Brake pedals in modern cars tend to be fairly sensitive, and even resting your foot on the pedal can be enough to slightly apply the brakes and/or trigger the brake lights. That's always a bad thing.

No one can correct it.

Do the folks who left foot break ride along with your left foot on or hovering over the peddle? I can't imagine doing that without pain developing in my ankle and lower leg muscles. And for those who don't hover their foot...there would be no reaction advantage gained vs using your right foot in my view. I drive how I was taught...right foot for both.

I never ride the breaks

no leg problems

We gave up trying to get her to unlearn this bad habit. It's just the way she drives, much to her mechanic's delight.

It might prematurely wear out the pads and rotors, or shoes and drums, but it shouldn't ruin a car. As long as your mom is getting home safe, no need to stress about a little extra cost in brake bits.

I brake with the right foot, because I learned on a car with a clutch. If I only had three feet...

the left foot is on the floor, so there is no gain in response time. That's not to mention applying pressure with both feet in a panic.

Brake lights exist to warn the driver behind you. When you ride the brake, the brake light is always on. The driver behind you never knows what you are doing.

All the points I was going to make. It should be noted that any perceivable advantage of using your left foot to brake would be lost to brake fade if you ride the pedal as many people I see on the road. Why would brake lights periodically come on at 65 mph on the open road? I see that every day. Also, if you're converting your mechanical energy to heat, you're also affecting your gas mileage.

transmissions and using the clutch pedal to shift gears, which usually was next to the brake pedal. If you used your left foot to brake often you could accidentally hit the clutch pedal instead often causing accidents. With automatic transmissions there is no reason for this other than to make sure you lift your foot off the accelerator before you brake.

I have one in my 2006 Element.

even know how to drive one.

driving stick keeps you more conscious of your driving and less distracted.
Yes it's a bit of a pain in stop and go driving or long distance driving because no cruise control.

I prefer to drive stick, and required my kids to learn to drive stick when teaching them to drive. It's not difficult to do unless one is hopelessly uncoordinated.

don't drive with them.

although in Europe you pretty much don't have a choice, almost all cars are manuals, and it sucks royally to drive in Dublin or some other Irish/British town in stop and go traffic, usually on hills...!
When we moved back to the US from Ireland in 2001, one of our cars was an automatic, and we had a hard time giving it away, several people even said they wouldn't know how to drive it! (it was an older car, no note or anything)

any difference to me in city driving. I don't have to think about the transmission. I just select the appropriate gear automatically. No big deal at all. I suppose if you're not used to driving a manual transmission, it could seem like a hassle, but if you drive one regularly, you don't even notice, really.

More of the cars I've owned have had manual transmissions than automatic, so 50+ years of driving means that it doesn't matter to me one way or another.

My KIA, though, is the first car I've owned that has a hill-holder feature. If you are at a stop, the brake holds for 10 seconds or until you move forward. Then it releases. No more fancy footwork at stop signs on hills. That was a nice surprise, although it's never been much of a problem for me before, anyhow.

Manual cars can have cruise control, my Ford Focus 5 speed does.

less so in stop & creep.

I drive stick because automatics are pigs in snow.

Since the late 1980's all my manual trans vehicles have had cruise. I never use it because I think it's an accident about to happen.

I enjoyed it in a sports car. But honestly, except for fun driving, I vastly prefer an automatic.

available on most cars. I get better gas mileage, have better control of my car, and pay more attention to my driving. I drive a 2013 Kia Soul. I chose the standard transmission deliberately. I also have a 2007 PT Cruiser. It's an automatic. I use my right foot for braking on both at all times.

Most people prefer automatic for city driving and women because we are often driving in high heeled shoes. As a matter of fact, I'm the only person I know who actually knows how to drive with a manual, but then I grew up in a mining camp and learned to drive in my dad's 1950 PU truck.

I will always prefer a manual transmission. I haven't always had one, but given a choice, I will have one. I'm far from alone, which is why manual transmissions are still offered in most car models.

I don't care what anyone else drives. I drive what I prefer, when I have a choice. And almost all of my driving is on city streets. I don't use cruise control, either, except on relatively empty interstates. Cruise control leads to inattention in far too many cases.

Finally, I can't imaging why anyone would drive, or even walk, in high-heeled shoes. None of the women I know do either. They're far too smart for that.

are part of it. Look at any governing body from City Council to Congress and the majority of the women are wearing high heeled shoes. Go to court and the women lawyers are wearing high heeled shoes. I think their should be a law against them myself, but that's centuries from now because most women LIKE to wear them.

Other women switch shoes to drive. All women should do that, if they wear high-heels. High-heeled shoes are dangerous when you're behind the wheel. Period.

An automatic due to reduced popularity of manual cars.

when I bought my Kia. Manual transmissions are usually less expensive than automatics. The reason is that manual transmissions are cheaper to make, compared to automatics with torque converters. There may be some exceptions, but a standard transmission will usually save you money.

And had to pay more and even wait to get it delivered because they didn't have one on the lot.

options they had. If there isn't one on the lot, then you'd have to order it from somewhere else. I don't know. I do know that the MSRP listed for the identical Kia Soul with and without manual transmission were $500 different. Cheaper with the manual. Go check MSRPs for identically-equipped models for whatever cars you wish. I don't have time, today, to do the comparisons for you.

When I was looking at cars three years ago I wanted a car with a manual transmission but for some makers, only the high-end trim levels had them, and others only offered them on their bare-bones trim levels. I wound up having to order mine when I finally decided what I wanted--the dealer didn't have any manual transmission cars on the lot because they take forever to sell, according to the salesman I dealt with.

It's hard to find a used car with a manual transmission. Some people insist on having one. If you have one to sell, the person who wants that will be your buyer.

That said, since the original price was lower for the manual, it's pretty much a wash, really.

Hampering their skill development further with poor advice is cruel.

Lifting your foot off the accelerator before you press the brake pedal is bad advice? Is that what you are referring to or what?

You don't want to mash down on the gas in a panic, and that's much harder to do if you're using your right foot to brake. This is exactly what I did the very first time I got into a car and didn't realize you didn't use the left foot for braking. My driver's ed teacher realized what I was doing had a fit and told me never to use my left foot on the brake again.

it's the reflex I have from using stick shifts for the first fifteen years I drove. I now use automatic but the old habit of just using the right foot for all pedals stayed with me, but I have friends who never used a stick and were taught to brake with the left foot and I find them as safe a driver as the right footed ones.

there's an indent in the mat where my left heel rests

You've got to judge yourself. If you are good under pressure, or if you are in a position to drill yourself constantly so your automatic reactions do what they are supposed to do (say, as a racing car driver) Fine. Do this.

But face it, most day-to-day drivers are not drilled in their reactions, and are not prepared to react fully and properly to an emergency. They are just running a quick errand to the grocery store, listening to the radio, telling their kids to settle down, wondering what route they should take to get to work so as to avoid traffic and arrive on time.

The problem with the latter, and far more common, driver is that, when they have to emergency brake, they do so with BOTH feet. It's a physiological reaction. And if you commonly brake with your left foot, then you also keep your right foot on the gas. BOTH pedals go down.

At speed, when you floor both pedals, guess what happens? You may not believe it, but your cars engine, plus its speed, will win out over your brakes. Even if you drive an underpowered economy car. Even worse, your driven wheels will keep applying power while your undriven wheels may lock up, resulting in a loss of directional control.

Average drivers are better off using the right foot for gas and brake, and leaving the left foot on the floor, or for the clutch if driving a manual.

It also saves them from being like some people I see, tapping the brakes while going UP hill, because that seems an easier way to adjust sped than adjusting the pressure on the gas pedal. And they wonder why their brakes wear out so quickly?

Right now I have an image of the movie "The Blues Brothers" where they almost plunge into the Chicago river and are saved when John Belushi presses both feet on the break..

[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#ffffff; margin-left:1em; border:1px solid #999999; border-radius:0.6154em; box-shadow:-1px -1px 3px #999999 inset;"]Hit the Brakes

Certainly the most natural reaction to a stuck-throttle emergency is to stomp on the brake pedal, possibly with both feet. And despite dramatic horsepower increases since C/D’s 1987 unintended-acceleration test of an Audi 5000, brakes by and large can still overpower and rein in an engine roaring under full throttle. With the Camry’s throttle pinned while going 70 mph, the brakes easily overcame all 268 horsepower straining against them and stopped the car in 190 feet—that’s a foot shorter than the performance of a Ford Taurus without any gas-pedal problems and just 16 feet longer than with the Camry’s throttle closed. From 100 mph, the stopping-distance differential was 88 feet—noticeable to be sure, but the car still slowed enthusiastically enough to impart a feeling of confidence. We also tried one go-for-broke run at 120 mph, and, even then, the car quickly decelerated to about 10 mph before the brakes got excessively hot and the car refused to decelerate any further. So even in the most extreme case, it should be possible to get a car’s speed down to a point where a resulting accident should be a low-speed and relatively minor event.

But Toyota could do better. Since the advent of electronic throttle control, many automakers have added software to program the throttle to close—and therefore cut power—when the brakes are applied. Cars from BMW, Chrysler, Nissan/Infiniti, Porsche, and Volkswagen/Audi have this feature, and that’s precisely why the G37 aced this test. Even with the throttle floored and the vehicle accelerating briskly, stabbing the brakes causes the engine’s power to fade almost immediately, and as a result, the Infiniti stops in a hurry. From speeds of 70 or even 100 mph, the difference in braking results between having a pinned throttle or not was fewer than 10 feet, which isn’t discernible to the average driver. As a result of the unintended-acceleration investigation, Toyota is adding this feature posthaste.

We included the powerful Roush Mustang to test—in the extreme—the theory that “brakes are stronger than the engine.” From 70 mph, the Roush’s brakes were still resolutely king even though a pinned throttle added 80 feet to its stopping distance. However, from 100 mph, it wasn’t clear from behind the wheel that the Mustang was going to stop. But after 903 feet—almost three times longer than normal—the 540-hp supercharged Roush finally did succumb, chugging to a stop in a puff of brake smoke.



[font style="font-size:0.8462em;"]http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-deal-with-unintended-acceleration[/font]

For the reasons given in another response.

Left foot braking inevitably leads to riding the brakes, a universally bad thing to do.

Drops mike.

I have what I call "Body Dyslexia".

Which basically means that I get my signals crossed on which side I'm using.

Especially dangerous if I happen to be backing up and I'm turning my upper body to see to the rear. Then it feels like what's on the left is on the right and vice versa.

So if one foot is on the gas and one foot on the brake and I'm turned around, I'm going to think my right foot is the left foot and step on the gas instead of the brake.

OTOH, I after driving a car for a few years, I always have a hole in the mat between the gas and brake where I keep my right foot and pivot it back and forth without lifting. Also, I have had many pairs of shoes where the back of the heel is also worn away in the same manner. So I pivot with one foot and it works...

You're standing on the throttle
You're standing on the brakes
In the groove 'til you make a mistake

Damn you post office boxes!!!

1) Not advisable if you have a clutch.

2) If you "ride" the breaks, you will wear them out faster and worn breaks don't help your stopping distance.

3) Technology is making the issue moot, since cars are now on the road that will break automatically when something stops in front of you suddenly, or enters your path. In electric cars with regenerative braking, simply removing your foot from the accelerator engages regeneration which creates drag on the wheels, slowing the car down.

..,it feels more natural

even this sentence in the story says ' if your left foot were positioned over the brake pedal". Reaction time is reaction time, whether left or right foot is involved. To get the benefit one MUST drive with the left foot above the brake pedal at all times. Rather uncomfortable for more than some of the people I would say, me for one. I will rely on my years experience and observing the road ahead.

old Austin Healy Sprite. It's second gear synchro was worn out, so you had to double clutch to shift down into it. No big deal, but my wife didn't like having to do that. I had a Hillman Minx, too, with the worn second gear synchro, and the car I learned to drive on was my fathers 1948 Dodge pickup, with a non-synchro four-speed. You double clutched every shift on that thing.

My first car had a manual transmission and I've driven several over the years. My left foot only knows to push the pedal all the way so even in a standard car my left foot does not know how to brake gently.

It takes no less time to lift your left foot than to switch your right. In a panic situation, I can easily imagine pressing to the floor with both feet, which would lead to even worse consequences. For those who can easily make the transition, whatever. Not for me.

I once had a close call - I was in an industrial area - an area that you just don't expect kids to be in. There was a truck parked on the side of the road with an attached (industrial type) trailer. Now, when I took driver training my instructor was absolutely rigid about me ALWAYS checking under the cars parked on the side of the road for little feet, in case a kid runs out from between a parked car. So I checked. No feet. I thought it was all clear.

Suddenly, a small child no older than 5, jumped out from between the truck and trailer right in front of my car. I jumped on the brake with both feet and pushed that pedal to the floor. Thank god for ABS as there was gravel on the road. I stopped about a foot away from the kid who was frozen like a deer in headlights. I stopped and asked the kid where his parents were (And saw several siblings playing on the hitch between the truck and trailer) and the kid ignored me, but a sibling yelled out that they were in a building down the street. Apparently the parents left the kids in the truck, and they got bored and decided to leave the truck to play on the trailer hitch (hence why I didn't see any feet!). I was 8 months pregnant at the time and was certain I was going to go into labor that night. Geez.

Anyway, the point is that when it comes down to it, I know I will use both my feet to hit the brake. I generally brake with my right. I effing HATE people who ride their brakes with their left foot, drives me insane. Not to mention brake wear and tear. I know now that in a braking emergency, both my feet are at the ready. And no risk of accidentally pressing on the gas...because I'm used to using my right for the brake. So, yeah, using your left foot to brake seems dumb to me too. Far more drawbacks than positives, IMO.

if you don't use it, it will atrophy!

overshoot the brake, hit the gas, and then where are you?

Not to mention being caught with a foot on each pedal.

Also, if it is drizzle outside and you see wipers on full blast...you'll see a poor driver and 90% of the time hands will be at 10 & 2...

they are forever needlessly tapping the brake pedal, and hence the brake lights. Drives me nuts. One foot, unless you are handicapped.

They will be so much more safe that human drivers won't be able to get insured, so, enjoy it while you can.

We drove the family wagon (with automatic) to test drive a coupe with a manual. Afterwards we got out on the road in the wagon and my dad had a brain fart-- he jammed down on the wagon's brake pedal thinking he was shifting and nearly put us both through the windshield.

It doesn't just reduce reaction time to effective action but provides a tool for adjusting handling based on the the effect of transferring weight to aid steering. I have spent my whole working life on the public roads and an avid motorsport enthusiast so any tool that can be used to reduce the occurrence or severity of accidents has my support.
If you drive a manual you probably already have a dead pedal to the left of the clutch. If you don't, you should add one and be using it to pivot your left foot between the two. The same can be done with an automatic.
I haven't bought an automatic since 1977 but have had to drive them far too often. I always initiated braking with my left foot.
I've been both a "balls to the walls" driver and a safety nazi and from both sides I say the same thing. Learn to drive and learn to do it safe and well. If you do it safe you might save my life and if you do it well you might provide a helluva race.

For a while, I made a living as a mechanic. You could always tell a brake rider: -20k miles on fresh pads, heat-scored rotors, sometimes seized calipers. I told the these customers I could not warranty my work due to operator abuse. They would be perplexed until I asked to ride with them down the street: Their left foot was always on the brake. "But I don't feel any slowing"

I said that the rear brakes (usually drum) probably aren't contacting at all due to the proportional valve acting to let pressure build up equally in the system, but that the front brake pads are always lightly brushing the rotors; any touch of the brake pedal applies the front disc brakes, even if you don't feel any slowing. Result: Prematurely fried brakes.

Note also that even if you "quickly" apply a left foot to stop that does NOT equate to releasing to gas pedal at the same time; hence you are working against the engine's power to the drive train. You could be making it More difficult to stop safely.

I have a clutch for my left foot. And using my left foot for my brakes would cause me stop suddenly and most likely get hit in the back. I'll stick with what works. Looking at tail lights ahead and keeping some distance. Riding your brakes for the sake of having your foot close to the brakes adds confusion in traffic. I try and stay away from those people.

Many years ago, I broke my right ankle and could not use it to drive, so I got into the habit of driving with my left foot. And now I still have that habit.

.... arrived at by folks who know just enough to be dangerous.

There a numerous reasons that all reputable driver education says to use your right foot for braking. This article is bullshit.

Bloggers are forever posting nonsense, which other Internet users spread widely around. Bloggers gotta blog, I guess, whether they know what they're talking about or not.

Bad advice.

Most people will end up jamming both pedals down in an emergency.

Just pay attention and learn to drive properly. Left good braking is idiotic and will only serve to wear out brakes and make your brakelights come on non-fucking-stop.

has worked for me for 40 years now.

Of course, I drive with a manual transmission, and my left foot pays attention to the clutch. I also don't actually use my brakes much; I can slow down without them, and the only things I've had to suddenly brake for in the last decade have been deer. Happily, I haven't hit any.

I do, though, feel my adrenaline rise, and find my right foot automatically hitting the brake unnecessarily when someone in front of me is riding their brakes.

Even though we get nowhere remotely close to the volume of snow that the East saw this season, we can get enough to make driving a task that manual transmissions simply deal with better.

That is a bad driver.

That's how my elderly father (used to) and my mother still drives.

Bad driving.

Try it, it's very challenging.

I left the house and headed down I-79 to my home town about 60 miles away and then took route 119 to route 40 over the summit and stopped at the lady luck casino then back on route 40 over the summit again to turnpike 43 up to route 51 and back to Pittsburgh, a trip of about 120 miles!

I used my left foot to brake and my right foot for the gas pedal, I thought it worked really well and will be testing it further on future trips, my car is an automatic so can't say anything about standard transmissions.

I never felt the need to ride my foot on the brake pedal and kept it on the floor board. I always look ahead to see when I might need to brake and it seemed that it was faster using my left foot than my right foot and that I had more control over all and that you can concentrate better using all you limbs.

I'm not recommending anybody else try it because a lot of people were taught to brake with their right foot and I think it is to late for them to change.

Al

None of this half-assed "brake pedal" stuff for me, thanks.

who use both feet to brake

was 19 years ago. Giving yourself enough distance between you and the car in front of you helps.

Most of the difference in the braking time is how long it takes your brain to process and react and tell the foot to brake. The difference between using right and left foot is almost none of that reaction time.

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]That if you can see the sides of the vehicle you are driving in your side view mirrors you are doing it wrong.[/font]