# Is using both feet during a drivers license test allowable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035 "2004-05-14T00:15:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/1 "2004-05-14T00:15:16Z")
If someone is more comfortable using their right foot for the accelerator and their left foot for the brake pedal (car has an automatic trans), are they allowed to drive this way while taking their driving test? The question came up during a conversation, where someone claimed thier father had someone else take his driving test for him years ago because he can only drive this way. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/2 "2004-05-14T01:12:30Z")
I don’t know, but I think braking with your left foot must surely be more acceptable than having someone else take your test for you! Whose picture is on the license? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/3 "2004-05-14T01:34:05Z")
No clue, but FWIW I did, but I also took it in a standard tranny car…and you sort of _have_ to use one foot for the clutch… ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/4 "2004-05-14T01:34:41Z")
Years ago, there were no pictures on licenses. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/5 "2004-05-14T02:13:04Z")
Hijack : I know (or at least I believe) that most people drive automatic cars in the US, but if you use an automatic car during for the driving license test, does your license allows you to drive a regular car? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/6 "2004-05-14T02:17:21Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Hijack : I know (or at least I believe) that most people drive automatic cars in the US, but if you use an automatic car during for the driving license test, does your license allows you to drive a regular car? In California and New Mexico for normal class drivers licenses there is no mention of transmissions you are qualified to operate. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/7 "2004-05-14T02:21:21Z")
In all states your license is for both automatics and “regular” cars. Please don’t hi-jack. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/8 "2004-05-14T02:45:36Z")
I have scanned the internet and the DMV sites in particular but cannot come up with anything. I was told by my driver’s ed instructor back when I took it that that was grounds for failure, but I don’t know how much you can take his word for it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/9 "2004-05-14T02:49:21Z")
I Googled with no luck also **flight**. Thanks for tryin’. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/10 "2004-05-14T02:54:20Z")
Using both feet to drive is a bad idea. Too often the left-foot-on-the-brake driver ends up resting their foot on the pedal. In many cases this causes the brakes to be applied through normal driving and can wear down the brakes. At some point in the future when the brakes are seriously needed, they will not be there. Besides, they will never be able to drive a stick. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/11 "2004-05-14T04:07:19Z")
Actually, my dad is a two foot driver in an automatic, but a proficient stick driver too. I’ve not seen anything in the Missouri, Kansas or Oregon manuals about driving with two feet. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/12 "2004-05-14T04:33:13Z")
Depends on your examiner. Mine got lost during the drive and read a magazine through most of it. It probably wouldn’t have mattered much if I had. I used to left foot brake until I got used to doing the right foot stomp. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/13 "2004-05-14T04:41:29Z")
In addition to just wearing out the brakes, if you tend to ride the brakes while you are driving, you could possibly overheat the brake pads and cause the brake fluid to boil. This would be really bad since at that point you have no more brakes. I’ve also heard the objection that if you drive with both feet and you panic, you’ll stomp on both the brakes and the gas, which could make a bad situation even worse. Even if its not a law on the books, I can see how they might fail you for it just as a safety issue. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/14 "2004-05-14T05:00:38Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > In addition to just wearing out the brakes, if you tend to ride the brakes while you are driving, you could possibly overheat the brake pads and cause the brake fluid to boil… Plus your brake lights will be on all the time, inviting a rear-end collision. And it’s a dorky thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/15 "2004-05-14T05:48:44Z")
As a point of possible interest. Some manual transmission drivers (particularly of race cars) will use their left foot for the brake and not bother with the clutch. This frees their right foot to blip the throttle between gear changes without having to use heel-toe braking. The point about leaving your foot on the pedal is not relevant really. This is just bad technique and shouldn’t be blamed on using your left foot for brakes. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/16 "2004-05-14T06:00:38Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Plus your brake lights will be on all the time, inviting a rear-end collision. Bingo! Even the slightest pressure on the brake pedal will turn on your brake lights. If your brake lights are on all the time, the drivers behind you will have no warning that you have now actually decided to stop. Plus, I can’t imagine it being comfortable keeping your right foot on the gas and your left foot on the brake for long trips. I could also see someone using this practice applying pressure to both pedals in an emergency, which would be very bad. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/17 "2004-05-14T10:22:59Z")
If you drive a go-kart it has a pedal arrangement where you had no other option but to use your left foot for the brake. Last time I did this I found it tricky to perfectly sychronise use of both pedals without ever being in the split second situation of applying pressure to both. This meant running the engine and applying the brakes simultaneously. Apparently I was not alone, the go-kart owners gave specific instructions about it and it made them very unhappy if you did it. Driving a car isn’t much different. Using the left foot on the brake; - tends to burn up your brakes. - makes using a manual transmission difficult, if not impossible. You need to switch feet to be able to dip the clutch and brake at the same time. - may cause you to continually flash your brake lights when you’re not braking. - may panic you into jamming both brake and accelerator on at the same time. I did this once when learning. It wasn’t fun. - As has been said; it’s a dorky way to drive. **However** , a great number of ‘petrolhead’ driving fanatics do advocate left foot braking, as it cuts down reaction time between use of the two pedals. IMHO; while this may be a great thing for racing and rally drivers, the dangers and difficulty of its correct use make it unsuitable for normal driving and drivers. I don’t know about the US, but it’s not permissible in UK driving tests. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/18 "2004-05-14T11:33:56Z")
In the UK nearly everyone “drives stick” or certainly learns to drive that way. An auto license doesn’t qualify you to drive a manual. I have only seen left foot braking suggested for parking or maneuvering at low speed in an automatic that creeps, like mine. After years of driving manuals with my left foot on the clutch I can’t get the hang of it. Or as previously pointed out for some exotic techniques used by racing drivers. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/19 "2004-05-14T13:01:41Z")
Well, FWIW, I’ll be taking a driving test in the next month or so, I’ll ask the exam guy while we’re cruising around. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035/20 "2004-05-14T15:36:57Z")
Please, I’m not looking for opinions on how bad driving this way can be, just looking for a factual answer to the OP. Thanks for volunteering **Worl Eater**. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-both-feet-during-a-drivers-license-test-allowable/245035.md?page=2)