# Why do carwash workers drive with their left foot hanging outside the open car door?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-carwash-workers-drive-with-their-left-foot-hanging-outside-the-open-car-door/106477>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 30, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-carwash-workers-drive-with-their-left-foot-hanging-outside-the-open-car-door/106477 "2002-04-30T14:59:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-carwash-workers-drive-with-their-left-foot-hanging-outside-the-open-car-door/106477/1 "2002-04-30T14:59:05Z")

</div>

I’m sure anyone who’s ever gone to the carwash has noticed this. When the workers move the car from the end of the car wash and drive it over to where they finish it up, they often let their left foot trail outside the door, which is open. Presumably they only do this with automatics.

Does anyone know why they do this? Is it a style thing? Is it a rule laid down by the car wash manager?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-carwash-workers-drive-with-their-left-foot-hanging-outside-the-open-car-door/106477/2 "2002-04-30T15:13:17Z")

</div>

At Ballys Park Place, our valet supervisors do the same thing when moving cars up in the pit out of the way for traffic.

It just saves a step; you don’t have to close the door all the way  
if you,re just rolling the car a few yards.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-carwash-workers-drive-with-their-left-foot-hanging-outside-the-open-car-door/106477/3 "2002-04-30T19:30:40Z")

</div>

I think it is to save a step but in my humble O very dangerous. If that dor hit anything they might crush their leg.