its not only wrong but you will fail your driving test for it I believe.. and jordo that is a different story! your not left with much choice there.

I don't believe it's 'wrong', however I would say that if I need to decrease speed (especially in a dangerous condition), I wouldn't want anything hovering over the accelerator. And using the left foot on the brake you either have to plant your right foot on the floorboard or hover it over the accelerator.
I can recall a time where the brake lines on my '89 Bronco split and the brake pedal went to the floor and I ended up having to hold the steering wheel and plant my foot all the way down to even get any brakegrasp after pumping. :eekdance: Both legs were pushing forward with more force than I've ever had to use. My left foot was on the rest designed for it and my right foot was on the brake. I had no reason to press hard on the rest, but trying to stop a multi-ton truck, it was just a reaction to press both legs to prepare for impact. If I was a left "foot-braker", I truly believe even with planting my foot on the floorboard in front of the accelerator, as there's not a place designed for the right foot as there is for the left, it would have ended badly as the foot would have slid into the accelerator with the force being applied out of instinct/reaction. There is no other place for your right foot to go but the accelerator if your left foot is covering the brake, unless you can cross your legs or quickly manage to re-train yourself then switch feet, which kinda negates any claimed 'better reaction time', to brake with your right in an extreme situation.

/what gets under my skin more is people inching forward at a red light being the lead car, or a car or few behind the lead car.
//Where are you going? The light hasn't changed, and I don't think that guys is going to run the red!

I've changed my mind. After reading all this I think left foot breaking might have some appropriate uses.

To me it feels wrong like kissing your sister, but perhaps hardcore racers do it well. Still, it's seems like an "only in special cases" technique (like heal toe braking). I'm too old to start doing it now, besides I'd get confused and run over a Prius for sure! (Yay)

I *Do* like learning something new.

I say, "you go left foot beakers!"

:icon18:

Left foot brakers are kissing their sisters.

It's really not that hard guys.
Just like anything, it takes practice.

Where do you put your right foot in an emergency or collision? Hovering over the accelerator, or on it, during impact?

:roflpuke2:

In an emergency, I drive however I need to in order to avoid a collision. This may involve shifting my feet over to the right so that I can brake and clutch in at the same time, or it may involve lifting my foot off the accelerator while continuing to brake with my left foot.
If I'm in a collision already, where my feet are is a moot point. :tiphat:

Maybe I'm just stirring the pot and arguing :stirthepot:, but I don't think your left foot is ever a moot point if you brace for impact and slam down on the accelerator, or slide into the pedal if it's a front end impact. Hitting the accelerator during an impact isn't exactly the best practice.:eekdance:

I know my left cannot cause harm as it's on the clutch or the dead-pedal (left-foot rest), and nor can my right as it's the brake. The dead pedal is designed for your left foot to rest when not shifting in a MT and to rest in an AT, and it's raised for comfort and reaction speed for clutches, and it's reinforced for bracing to collide. Even the slightest amount of pressure on the clutch causes wear and I was taught not to "hover" during normal operation, unless approaching an intersection,etc.

Check your reaction time:
With the car off, jump your left foot from the dead pedal to the brake, then your right foot from the accelerator to the brake. The difference in time is most likely almost a half second in favor of your right, even if trained to left-foot brake. A half second can make all the difference in the world in many situations.

I'd use my left foot to brake when I'm driving an AT. But then again, I only do it on local streets and because I'm bored and want to pretend to be cool.

Ignoring your special race conditions, I've always assumed left foot brakers to be lazy and or uneducated in what it does to their car. My friend's dad does this and swears up and down he doesn't rest his foot on the brake but if you drive behind him its quite obvious that he does and I guess he is oblivious to it.

I've got a couple of dents in my dead pedal that says it's not reinforced :stirthepot: both were caused while reaching for my wallet and using the dead pedal to brace my weight (~220lbs) :ugh2:

I always :facepalm: when I see someone's brake lights come on to slow then continue to stay on while accelerating.

To each their own, I suppose. I just cannot fathom how it's a better practice. And, to me, driving is a passion where I strive to be better and safer. If your left foot is blocking the only "true and safe" location for it during emergency reactions/braking, I would still state that it's less safe than right foot braking. I mean, it's only multiple thousand pounds of metal we're talking about flinging around the roads.:icon14:

I don't "brace for impact". That's how bones get broken.
It's cool... this thread's whole purpose for existence is pot stirring. Everyone's arguments in here are hypothetical with the exception of cases where someone has had an experience where they slammed on the accelerator while bracing for impact or they have evidence that their chosen left foot driving techniques make them faster.
While I use techniques that have proven to be fast on the track or in competition while driving on the street, I have no proof that using these techniques on the street is good practice other than the fact that I haven't had an off or a collision in my 26 years of driving.

In any situation that comes close to being an emergency, I will have both feet on the brake pedal; ready to slide the right foot back on the accel, if needed.

In situations where I may need to switch between brakes and accel (eg, merging with traffic), I'll have one foot on each pedal (left foot not quite touching the brake), ready for whatever happens. In 40 years of driving like that, I've never pushed on the wrong pedal.

In normal driving, I'll usually have my left foot a half-inch or so off the brake pedal. Out on the interstate, I'll move my left foot to any comfortable position and use my right foot for braking if the left foot is too far out of position when quick action is required.

If someone is driving with their foot resting on the brake pedal, they are doing it wrong - doesn't matter which foot they are using.

So, you could be doing exactly the thing I'm stating is unsafe: moving your foot over the accelerator and then out of reaction to a changing situation, extending both legs. That can put your right foot in a very bad position.
(read below before addressing this)


Like I said, to each their own. We all don't react the same out of reflex, and conditioning can change our behavior. I can say that there would be left-foot brakers that would be better than a right-foot braker in a situation based on the person driving, not the style.
I would confidently say, though, I am a better driver using right-foot braking where I thought the truck was going to collide and both legs extended. And my feet are too large too share one pedal and risk sliding off the side (especially trying to stand up on the one pedal).