Law about only driving with your right foot?

Question

ok, i've been curious is there a law in place that states (while driving an automatic) that you can only use your right foot for both the gas and break pedal? i'm curious because my girlfriend is taking her drivers test soon and she uses both feet and we're not sure if she's gonna get docked down or anything. my dad taught me to use both feet and hassled me if i ever used my left foot. i can understand how it could be dangerous, but i really wanna know if it's a law or just something that we've all gone by

Answer 1

If there was a law for driving with only one foot I would have a million tickets!  I had a car that to keep it running when stopped, I had to have one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas.  It's just safer to drive with only one foot because your left foot can get tangled up with your right foot.  In addition, if the car does not have something wrong with it like mine did, you may end up riding the brakes and causing undue wear on the braking system.  

I do think my having to drive two footed in that car made it easier for me to drive a standard.  (That was my next car.)

Answer 2

How could a law like that possibly be enforced? Can a cop, from outside of your vehicle, tell which foot you're using? It's crazy.

Regardless, the proper way to drive an automatic is with your right foot only. Braking with your left foot is a bad habit to get into. Your friend will probably get deductions for doing it. The person administering the test will certainly be able to spot it.

Answer 3

There's no law saying you have to drive with only one foot. Using your left foot to brake can lead to riding with that foot on the brake pedal, which is a bad habit to have since it wears out your brakes.

Answer 4

There is no law concerning this it is just safer to use one one "your right foot".........safety reasons and less confusion.

Answer 5

It's not a law, it's common sense. Teach your girlfriend to drive properly before she kills someone.

Answer 6

It use to be a law because using two feet is very dangerous.

Answer 7

it really is a law...at least where i live...ive taken my drivers classes and ive asked about that...i was told to never use your left foot unless its an absolute emergency...i think its sometimes stupid...but, use your right foot...it can sometimes be so much easier...!

Answer 8

It comes down to general driving etiquette. When I took drivers ed my instructor emphasized only braking when I intend to slow WAY down, otherwise regulate speed through the gas pedal. Especially on the freeway. As your brake lights go on every time you touch the brake, this can send confusing messages to the people behind you if you're really not slowing down much. This causes a lot of problems on the freeway as people tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to brake lights up ahead. Even if someone is braking in a different lane, people have a tendency to hit their brakes themselves. Driving with both left and right foot encourages triggering your brake lights unnecessarily, thus is a bad habit. Not to mention it's not good for your car to hit both brake and gas simultaneously. Because of these two issues, driving with both left and right feet tends to be discouraged by driving instructors. Driving with just your right foot solves both issues.

Answer 9

No, its not a law that makes you drive only with your right foot. However, it would be wiser to only use your right foot for safety reasons, mainly so you don't get in a habit of pushing down on the gas and brake pedals at the same time.

Answer 10

It's all personal preference on that respect. No laws relating to it that I know of. Personally I drive my auto with my right foot. I've tried to do two before just to get the fell for it...it didn't work so well. In addition, like everyone above has said, it is easier to get tangled up in the pedals and my put extra wear on your breaks. I do not think they could make two footed driving an illegal act because they tell you to gently press the break while accelerating to dry your breaks after driving through puddles.

Answer 11

Don't know about any laws on that respect. However, using the left foot to brake is a common occurrence in auto racing (most especially in rallying) and is usually associated with way above average car control.

When bad or inexperienced drivers use the left foot to brake the most common problem is they leave the foot on the brake, thus constantly using the brakes and creating premature brake wear.

Other than that, and the fact they may have their brake lights on all the time annoying dirvers in other cars, there is no issue with using your left foot to brake in an automatic car.

Answer 12

Although there is no specific law against simultaneously using the left foot on the brake and the right on the gas, it is inherently dangerous. I have failed license applicants for this very reason. I felt very uncomfortable. There are so many situations to be looked at and reacted to without having to decide which foot to use to step on a pedal and let up on the other ... or the other way around.

All the best