# Two-footed driving - safety issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 3, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489 "2019-03-03T16:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/21 "2019-03-03T21:52:58Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Not directly on point but ostensibly scientific inquiry has often or usually concluded that ‘unintended acceleration’ incidents blamed on cars are actually the drivers stepping on the accelerator when they think they are stepping on the brake, with their right feet. Such as USDOT’s conclusion in Toyota case: > [https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15125313/its-all-your-fault-the-dot-renders-its-verdict-on-toyotas-unintended-acceleration-scare-feature/](https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15125313/its-all-your-fault-the-dot-renders-its-verdict-on-toyotas-unintended-acceleration-scare-feature/) > > . Bought and paid for by Toyota. Since Toyota did pay a huge fine, since “number of incidents caused by accelerators hanging up on incorrectly fitted floor mats, …A subsequent investigation discovered that the car had been fitted with all-weather floor mats designed for a Lexus RX, which were too long for the ES350, thus trapping the accelerator pedal after a full-throttle application and causing the crash.”. But no, it wasnt the computers fault. It was Toyotas for putting the two pedals too close, sticky pedals and bad floor mats. > **[Toyota to Pay $1.2B for Hiding Deadly ‘Unintended Acceleration’](https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-pay-12b-hiding-deadly-unintended-acceleration/story?id=22972214)** > > Car manufacturer Toyota has agreed to pay a staggering $1.2 billion to avoid prosecution for covering up severe safety problems with “unintended acceleration,” according to court documents, and continuing to make cars with parts the FBI said Toyota... \*Car manufacturer Toyota has agreed to pay a staggering $1.2 billion to avoid prosecution for covering up severe safety problems with “unintended acceleration,” according to court documents, and continuing to make cars with parts the FBI said Toyota “knew were deadly.” A deferred prosecution agreement, filed today, forced Toyota to “admit” that it “misled U.S. consumers by concealing and making deceptive statements about two safety related issues affecting its vehicles, each of which caused a type of unintended acceleration.” …At the time of the first ABC News report, Toyota attempted to assure its drivers that the incidents of sudden acceleration without warning were solely caused by floor mats becoming stuck on the gas pedals or driver error. But already other customers were complaining of similar problems with sudden acceleration, but some had nothing to do with the floor mats and they maintained they weren’t to blame either. ABC News published dozens of reports in the following months as Toyota said it investigated and announced massive recalls to address the accelerators being stuck under floor mats – repeatedly assuring drivers that the problem had been taken care of. But today Toyota admitted that the recalls did not cover all the cars they knew were in danger and said that they also concealed another cause of sudden acceleration they had found during their investigations – “sticky” pedals, which refers to the accelerator getting stuck partially depressed. In December 2009, the court records showed the company responded to “media accusations that it was continuing to hide defects in its vehicles” by publishing a statement on Toyota’s website saying the company “has absolutely not minimized public awareness of any defect or issue with respect to its vehicles [and] [a]ny suggestion to the contrary is wrong and borders on irresponsibility.”\* ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/22 "2019-03-03T22:01:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Over all, safety wise, I would say the stick has a slight advantage, and no disadvantage. Ever try to push-start a slushbox? It can be done, but nowhere near as easily as with a stick. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/23 "2019-03-03T22:14:19Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Ever try to push-start a slushbox? It can be done, but nowhere near as easily as with a stick. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/24 "2019-03-03T22:15:51Z")
I learned on a 3 on a tree. Most cars have been manuals. There are good and bad about both. For plow trucks, an auto is better believe it or not. You’ll burn up a clutch pretty quick in a manual. Anyway, I’ve got a 2019 4Runner now. All two months worth of now. It’s an auto of course. I live in the montains of Colorado and drive half of the time on snow covered roads. What I never liked about other autos is that they would downshift going uphill to keep speed. Well, that’s fine unless you’re on a snow covered twisty mountain road. That downshift can cause you to lose traction (or worse). I like the 4Runners ability to just slap the shifter over and pick my gears 1 through 5 to prevent that. And then press it right back into auto. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/25 "2019-03-03T23:20:16Z")
My father taught me to use one foot so I was surprised when I noticed that he had shifted to two. He told me it was because he didn’t want to be known as a slow old driver and he could go faster if he reserved his left foot for braking… He was nearly ninety - it was terrifying. I stick with single foot because I only have manual transmissions. For the future, how about [single pedal driving](https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/02/16/one-pedal-driving-in-electric-cars)? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/26 "2019-03-04T00:12:37Z")
I developed a habit of keeping my foot off the clutch as much as possible, after that one time the throwout bearing went bad. Might have been a time I held the clutch down at a light, but that habit went away quickly when my clutch master started leaking. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/27 "2019-03-04T02:47:25Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Ever try to push-start a slushbox? It can be done, but nowhere near as easily as with a stick. The last car I had that was possible on was a '63 Studebaker. It used to work decades ago, but automatics are different now. As to the topic of this thread (that my parenthetical comment inspired), my driver’s ed teacher claimed it was a problem due to maybe pushing the brake and the gas pedal at the same time, either when flummoxed or in an emergency. In my opinion, I’d guess two-footers go through brake pads and shoes faster, as others have alluded to. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/28 "2019-03-04T04:48:57Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I have no evidence, but I find the quoted article hard to understand. When I’m driving my foot is either on the gas pedal or the brake. Kids these days … 🙂 Has heel-and-toe shifting now gone from human skillsets the way penmanship has? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/29 "2019-03-04T04:54:08Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Kids these days … 🙂 > > Has heel-and-toe shifting now gone from human skillsets the way penmanship has? You might gues from my name I’m hardly a kid, and heel-and-toe shifting pretty much went out when cars moved the accelerator (usually called a throtle at the time) from the center position between the clutch and the brake to the right. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/30 "2019-03-04T05:09:07Z")
I drive both automatics and manually-shifted vehicles. I have always used my left foot. In manually-shifted vehicles I use it for both clutch and brake, also using the right foot for brake and accelerator pedal, depending on immediate context. Sometimes, (most often when starting off from a stopped position on steep hills), I have found it useful to operate all three pedals simultaneously. Automatic transmission vehicles are simpler. I do often choose to brake with my left foot. I don’t know from where this meme originated about people who use their left foot on the brake being likely to push pedals they didn’t intend to push. It’s a stupid meme. People who pay attention to their own driving and enjoy the process and are fully engaged in it tend to be quite aware of each and every decision they make as they do so. I sometimes operate the steering wheel with my knees. I often operate it with just one hand. I assure you that whenever I do these things I know exactly what I’m doing, I’m aware of my limitations, I’m aware of the traffic conditons, road conditions, and immediate situation in all its respects and my choice of doing what I’m doing is based on a reasonable assessment of appropriate safety and adequate control of the vehicle that I’m operating. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/31 "2019-03-04T07:07:04Z")
I normally drive a manual transmission. When I drive an automatic I need to mentally adjust to not use my left foot, it usually take one or two seatbelt-checks (my left foot can only put pedals all the way down) to get there. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/32 "2019-03-04T08:07:54Z")
My left foot only ever works the clutch in a manual car. Never the brake. In an auto it is only ever a right-footed exercise. Seems sensible to me as in normal circumstances you are only ever using acceleration _or_ braking and the more feet involved, the more chance for error. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/33 "2019-03-04T10:40:38Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > This issue has come up tangentially in the stick shift thread, where a couple of posters have commented that using one foot for gas and one foot for the brake is dangerous. > > I’m curious about that. Note that I’m putting this in GQ - I’m looking for _factual_ evidence, one way or the other, because I’ve not been able to find it. Not opinions, or “my driving ed teacher told me”. Factual It looks as if there is no ‘factual’ answer to the question. Here in the UK, the vast majority of drivers learn on a stick shift. This is partly because that’s what the driving schools have, but also because a driver who passes their test on an auto, is not allowed to drive a stick. As mentioned above, anyone used to driving with a clutch will tend to push the left foot all the way down unless they think about it, so that tends to cause some very sharp braking if they try to use the left foot on the brake pedal. Learners are sternly cautioned that if they ‘ride’ the clutch it will cause wear and premature failure of the thrust bearing, so most learn not to do it. All this means is that a UK driver will nearly always use their right foot exclusively, which leads me to the conclusion that we mostly drive the way we were taught. I have seen people trying to drive an auto for the first time and using both feet. Accelerating and braking at the same time is a Bad Idea. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/34 "2019-03-04T16:44:53Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Certainly not all. My car had a little spot to put your left foot when not using the clutch. The foot rest is sometimes called a dead pedal. > **[Dead pedal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_pedal)** > > In an automobile, the dead pedal, often also called a footrest, is typically a non-moving piece of rubber or metal that the driver is supposed to rest their foot on when driving. Although the dead pedal serves no mechanical function in the car, many car manufacturers opt to implement it because it provides a number of ergonomic benefits to the driver. In manual transmission cars, the dead pedal is designed to promote a smoother actuation of the clutch by keeping the driver's foot in the same plan... There are issues with driving an automatic with both feet. When I am following a two-footed driver it is obvious from the continually blinking brake lights. This causes me to begin ignoring the brake lights since they are no longer reliably telling me that the car will be slowing down. That is the purpose of brake lights, to warn the other cars. Keeping your brakes constantly on/off, on/off, on/off, does not only cause premature brake wear, it also keeps your brakes from cooling down. Hot brakes can cause brake fade and failure on long declines. And in a panic stop situation two footed drivers will have a tendency to slam both feet to the floor, the brake and gas pedals, with possibly disastrous results. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/35 "2019-03-05T04:48:59Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I suppose it’s entirely possible that you are, at least a little bit. And, obviously, I have no idea if there are a lot of left-foot brakers out there who aren’t riding their brakes. So, I’m not saying that _all_ drivers who use their left feet as part of driving (manual transmission users, and left-foot brakers) are necessarily leaving their left feet on those pedals, but _some_ clearly are. Either that, or there is a non-zero number of drivers in my area who have a short circuit in the wiring of their cars’ brake lights, causing them to be always lit. > > And, of course, the difference between riding your clutch with your left foot, and riding your brake with your left foot, is that the former is completely invisible to other drivers, and not leading to a different potential safety issue. And yes I have known people who kept their left foot on the clutch pedal. ---
**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/36 "2019-03-05T10:24:56Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’m curious, as well. As I noted in the other thread, I’m fairly sure that I see people out there who are using their left feet to brake, and I can tell this because their brake lights are always on (since, I’m guessing, their left feet are lightly resting on the brake pedals, but are heavy enough that the light activates). > > That, of course, inserts another safety issue into the equation – if other drivers can’t tell if you’re actually braking (because the brake light is always on), does that factor introduce a different cause of accidents? There are other, even more serious issues here. The most serious, is that if you press enough for the lights, you are probably almost or actually activating the brakes, albeit lightly. This causes extreme heating of the discs (drum brakes probably have too much slop, but might not), and glazing of the pads, reducing the overall braking effectiveness tremendously. The second problem is just the extra gas wasted overcoming the friction. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/37 "2019-03-05T12:02:31Z")
It’s my understanding that using the right foot to use the break and gas pedals is a hold over from using manual transmissions. Your left foot pushes in the clutch. Right foot breaks. Let out the clutch and right foot accelerates. Using the right foot for two pedals became the way driving is taught. The change to automatic transmissions didn’t change the use of the right foot. There’s also a safety factor because breaking requires removing the driver’s right foot from the gas, which of course is desirable when you’re trying to stop the vehicle. Breaking and simultaneously pressing the gas would not be a effective way to stop a vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![HeiLo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@HeiLo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeiLo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/38 "2019-03-05T12:08:41Z")
In the hope of getting back to the OPs question: As others have alluded to, I (careful, opinion) think that most people in most situations in a manual transmission brake with their right foot. Left foot braking would then mostly happen in automatic transmissions. If you find an estimate of the percentage of drivers who do this, and combine it with crash statistics that detail the transmission type, you might be able to infer a likelyhood which is safer. Not that I did this, or found a study which did. As for confusing brake and gas pedals: That does happen, and it causes accidents, as evidenced by news reports. I haven’t found a statistic on the frequency, though. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/39 "2019-03-05T19:38:46Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Breaking and simultaneously pressing the gas would not be a effective way to stop a vehicle. Is this actually true? I have heard that on most vehicles the brakes are stronger than the engine, and thus it would be hard on your vehicle but that the brakes would win in this case. In an EV I wonder how the system handles it, I could see it the brake pedaling overriding the gas pedal. (because in an EV, there is a regen form of braking, and the motors can either be in regen or in acceleration but cannot be in both at the same time. So the logical thing to do would be for the authors of the EV ECU to handle the contradictory case of “accelerator and brake activated at the same time” with “brake beats accelerator”) ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489/40 "2019-03-05T19:51:38Z")
For an answer to the EV question, here’s [this video](https://youtu.be/ch3cILEYfAY?t=317). (in a Tesla, of course) In a Tesla, apparently it’s just fine to two foot drive. If you get into a panic stop situation and mash both pedals to the floor, it’s totally fine - the car will brake the same as if you moved your foot over. You know, for the next 3-5 years before a computer drives you everywhere. Accidentally hit both pedals at the same time? Brake overrides accelerator. Also, you will not be silently driving along burning up your brakes and keeping your brake lights on because your left foot is resting on the brake pedal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-footed-driving-safety-issues/830489.md?page=3)