Make it harder to press gas pedal

If it's an automatic just teach him to brake with his left foot. Faster reaction time and he won't press teh wrong pedal by mistake.

l when he means to step on the brake, I think one easy way is to replace th e spring holding the gas pedal with one with a higher force constant. Once he's driven the car for some months, change it back. This won't prevent the problem. But it could save a life, or change a serious injury to just a bu mp on the head. Any comments?

hmm.. left side brake, right side gas. Teach them their left from their rig ht and you won't have any problems.

Two foot driving also isn't a good idea. Ever hear of riding the brakes? t wo foot drivers love doing this.

Two foot driving is an excellent idea. Just because 2% of some group do something badly doesn't mean no one should do it. A lot of people who drive manual transmissions ride the clutch - would you advise that NO ONE every buy a manual transmission car?

edal when he means to step on the brake, I think one easy way is to replace the spring holding the gas pedal with one with a higher force constant. On ce he's driven the car for some months, change it back. This won't prevent the problem. But it could save a life, or change a serious injury to just a bump on the head. Any comments?

right and you won't have any problems.

? two foot drivers love doing this.

I could care less about someone riding the clutch, if they want to burn up their clutch more power to them, but when your left foot keeps touching th e brake pedal your brake lights keep flickering which is very annoying to t he person behind that two foot driver. Some two foot drivers keep their le ft foot on the brake pedal so your brake lights are constantly on.

Plus I drive both manual & automatic transmission cars. it would be a pita to have to adjust using my left foot to use the brake, and then have to use it on the clutch. Keep it simple and use your right foot for the gas & br ake and only use the left foot for the clutch pedal.

Riding the clutch only works the throwout bearing. I could always hear that if I rested my foot too heavily on the clutch. I never left foot braked unless I was dealing with an engine that was dying at low RPM. But if anybody wants to do that, fine with me. I get away from cars where the brake lights are flickering or on all the time. Can't say I see many, and can't even remember the last one I saw. Which brings to mind, why not have a dash indicator tied to the brake lights? Might solve the "riding the brake" problem. Probably not enough "brake riders" to justify the cost.

Well, I slip the clutch while riding the brake all the time in traffic - but on two wheels, not four. :)

Overheating is not a problem with a wet clutch, but even dry clutches can be fine, e.g. the the ten of thousands of R-series Beemer cop bikes in use around the world.

Too bad more cars [1] do not have sequential transmissions so one could dispense with the clutch while shifting.

[1] All the ones I can think of are dedicated race cars.

I drive auto and manual cars and motorcycles and used to fly planes. ALL of them use the feet differently. That said, if you are not capable of doing different things with your feet, then by all means just keep doing the one single thing you have managed to learn how to do. I would never encourage anyone to attempt to learn a skill if they are not capable of it.

s pedal when he means to step on the brake, I think one easy way is to repl ace the spring holding the gas pedal with one with a higher force constant. Once he's driven the car for some months, change it back. This won't preve nt the problem. But it could save a life, or change a serious injury to jus t a bump on the head. Any comments?

ir right and you won't have any problems.

kes? two foot drivers love doing this.

up their clutch more power to them, but when your left foot keeps touching the brake pedal your brake lights keep flickering which is very annoying t o the person behind that two foot driver. Some two foot drivers keep their left foot on the brake pedal so your brake lights are constantly on.

ta to have to adjust using my left foot to use the brake, and then have to use it on the clutch. Keep it simple and use your right foot for the gas & brake and only use the left foot for the clutch pedal.

I ride motorcycles as well, along with mopeds & scooters which all have dif ferent controls. I even had an antique bike that had the brake & gear shif ter on the opposite sides. So, I do know how to adjust for different vehicl es.

I'm a firm believer that two foot driving is still not as safe (for automat ic transmissions). That is how I was taught and I'm sticking to it..

You must be a proud two foot driver. Ride on! (the brakes that is)

Hardly needs to be antique, as most European motorcycles as well as H-D had left-foot brakes and right-foot shifters up through 1974.

The thing I find most interesting whenever the use of the left foot comes up for braking in AT equipped cars is demonstrated by your reply. Even though you KNOW that it is certainly possible to learn different uses for right and left feet, and by extension to left foot brake and do it well, presuming you believe you can use your feet well when you ride a motorcycle and also with non-standard MCs, you still are wedded to the idea that "it can't be done properly" when it comes to left foot braking a car simply because "that's how I was taught." Is that how you approach any other "new" ideas you hear about? I bet your first bike had coaster brakes... do you eschew their lack on modern 21 speeds? Especially since you could simply use your FEET for braking and pedaling on the old bikes, now you have the terrible confusion of having to use your FEET for pedaling, and your HANDS for braking - and for two different wheels for braking meaning BOTH left AND right hands need to learn a skill !!! My god, how could ANYONE possibly master those skills !!!!

I never ride the brakes anymore then you ride your accelerator pedal when you are stopped at a stop light - at least I assume you can tell when you are pushing on the accelerator pedal. Like I said, if people really are so unable to learn a skill, and left foot braking is a skill, than by all means they should continue to leave their left foot planted uselessly on the floor and keep moving their right foot back and forth back and forth, on the gas, off the gas, on the brake, off the brake, over and over. I'll keep doing what has worked well for me and what was taught as the proper way to drive back when automatics were getting popular. Times change and what's "proper" blows with the fashion winds regardless of any inherent logic.

Only low-end bikes would have 21 speeds these days. Most road bikes are

20 (10x2), 22 (11x2) or 30 (10x3) while MTB are usually 27 (9x3) or 30 (10x3).

What about power-braking, so we can turn our expensive tires into clouds of noxious smoke while waiting for the lights to change?

Who rides the accelerator pedal???????

Except in a manual on a hill I might be on the clutch & gas and keeping the car steady.

Only two footers can ride the gas. I see it all of the time upon take off.

You can drive how you feel is right. You said it yourself that you learned to drive two footed as the automatics were getting popular. so, no one new the best way to drive them yet. It was trial & error. They don't teach two footed driving in drivers ed. That alone should tell you something about tw o foot driving.

Here's what I found doing a quick search of two feet driving:

Some people seem to drive with two left feet, figuratively. But those who a ctually drive an automatic with both feet worry me.

Since most newer drivers have never touched a stickshift vehicle, I doubt i t has anything to do with a ?restless left foot? from transitioning to an automatic. (I?ve driven both and find that rationale to be nonsense.)

From a legal standpoint, using two feet isn?t specifically prohibited. Bu t if you lose control and cause a collision, you could be charged with care less driving or dangerous driving causing bodily harm/death, if applicable.

Police can?t see your feet as you drive anyhow, unless, perhaps, you?re in an open top Jeep with doors removed, but two-footed drivers typically g ive themselves away by their constantly lit or blinking brake lights as the y drive along.

Two-footed driving is, I believe, most often practised by novice drivers wh o falsely believe they?ve discovered a better, more efficient way to driv e than everyone else. In reality, two-footed driving is completely unnecess ary because you can just plant your right heel on the floor and pivot betwe en gas and brake, so it really doesn?t save you any effort.

Two-footed driving is extremely dangerous because during emergency maneuver s, the driver may inadvertently step on the wrong pedal, or step on both si multaneously. In a crisis, we automatically do what we?ve been trained to do. If you?ve made it a habit to use your left foot for braking, then th at?s what your brain will opt to do when trouble arises ? and that mist ake can be fatal.

Years ago, I recall a newly-licensed family friend regretfully admitting th at she mistakenly stomped on the gas instead of the brake at a red light an d then, in a panic, used her left foot (as was her habit) to apply the brak e ? but without releasing the gas pedal with her right foot. The gas peda l counteracted the braking effort and she seriously injured herself and oth ers in the collision that she caused.

It takes 30 days to make or break a habit and, after she got out of hospita l, she broke that dangerous habit for good.

Incidentally, street racers need not write in. I?m aware that stomping bo th pedals simultaneously while stopped may hold the vehicle in place as the (rear) drive wheels spin and ?burn rubber.? Her auto was in motion, at speed, so the application of both pedals at the same time greatly reduced the effectiveness of the brakes and she was unable to stop in time.

The proper technique if one is next to a Prius or driver's ed car at a red light. On a motorcycle, one should ride a wheelie when the light turns green. ;)

What a silly bunch of twaddle. Tell me how your Uncle shot himself in the foot with his pistol and that it means no one should ever carry a pistol. Like I said, if you don't have the skill don't do it. As to safety, just how many folks do you need to have ram thru the front of stores because they THOUGHT their RIGHT foot was on the brake but was really on the accel pedal when they tried to STOP. If they had learned to use BOTH feet, left to brake, right to go, those kinds of accidents simply wouldn't happen. Probably 90% of drivers drive automatics but you think they should just let that left foot stay planted on the floor because they might get confused if they were to drive a manual, even thought the last time they drove a manual, if ever, was 40 years ago.

Guess how the vast majority of F1 drivers use their feet.....

My Uncle wouldn't be stupid enough to do that. Not sure about yours. It me ans some people should be carrying a gun. Just because their is one idiot, doesn't mean everyone is one.

Like I said, if you don't have the skill don't do it. As to

bunch of bs. 95% of those people who get confused are elderly. sounds like you are getting up there as well. Just be careful.

apples & oranges. I'm not driving 200+mph. ask them how they drive their regular cars. I bet they don't two foot it.

I guess you missed this statement, or you chose to ignore it.

rs, the driver may inadvertently step on the wrong pedal, or step on both s imultaneously. In a crisis, we automatically do what we?ve been trained t o do. If you?ve made it a habit to use your left foot for braking, then t hat?s what your brain will opt to do when trouble arises ? and that mis take can be fatal.

You don't tense up when in an accident situation??? The way you drive you'l l be pressing on the brake & gas at the same time. Tell me I'm wrong. You can't!

I know nothing I can say will change your mind. Like I said it's not about being skilled, it's about being safe.

means some people should be carrying a gun. Just because their is one idiot , doesn't mean everyone is one.

e you are getting up there as well. Just be careful.

r regular cars. I bet they don't two foot it.

vers, the driver may inadvertently step on the wrong pedal, or step on both simultaneously. In a crisis, we automatically do what we?ve been trained to do. If you?ve made it a habit to use your left foot for braking, then that?s what your brain will opt to do when trouble arises ? and that m istake can be fatal.

'll be pressing on the brake & gas at the same time. Tell me I'm wrong. Yo u can't!

ut being skilled, it's about being safe.

Google,,, Hill holders for cars Page 2 on that Google search, forum.studebakerdriv ersclub.com Who invented the hill holder

This really isn't worth arguing about. If you want to left foot brake, and have the coordination skills required, which aren't much at all, do it.

If you have that minimal coordination, left foot braking works fine. The only "wrong pedal" argument I buy from those opposed to left foot braking isn't even "wrong pedal," It's having the right foot above the accelerator in a frontal accident. Inertia can force your foot to press it at impact. But it probably won't make a difference anyway. All the other arguments about pressing the wrong pedal only apply to those with bad coordination and/or "panickers."

I saw myself getting rear--ended once after making a highway emergency stop. Saw the guy coming for me in the rear-view. He was nose-diving and on the brakes. I was in an auto and took my foot off the brake. Had a stopped car about 10 feet ahead of me. Right after impact I stabbed the brakes and stopped a few feet short of the guy ahead. Wouldn't matter if I was left or right foot braking. Just have to know where your feet are going. Most people do.

Here's something nobody seems to mention. Even on my GM autos, which have pretty wide brake pedals, I'd have to keep my legs closer together to left hand brake. I like keeping my legs apart. My left foot is usually propped against the left wheelwell. That's probably the main reason I don't left hand brake. Could be I drove mostly sticks early on too.

So I give up a little reaction time, but compensate for that with my driving style, which is likewise relaxed and keeps distance. But plenty of times I drove cars that would die at stops/lights and used left hand braking, goosing the accelerator. With autos AND sticks. Never a problem.

In fact the ONLY time I had a pedal problem was when my kid converted the auto in his Corsica to a hydraulic clutch Getrag. The pedals were small and close in the assembly, the brake pedal was low, and my feet are wide. Besides that he had some bright yellow plastic pads on the pedals. Blew the first stop sign I came to, going halfway into the intersection. I was cussing like hell trying to stop that thing. He said, "You're pressing the gas!" and I was. I got out and told him to drive. Worked for him, but totally unacceptable to me, and I never got in that driver's seat again.

Here's my "uncoordinated' moves, none that pose any danger.

1. Left leg jumping when moving from a stick to an auto.
2. Hand putting keys to column instead of dash. Or vice versa.
3. Hand reaching for console instead of column shift, Or vice.
4. Hands looking for lights/wipers in wrong place. Total confusion. Those only happen once when switching cars.

1. Riding shotgun with any driver. Can't stop braking.

So your answer to the "confusion" is to have them continue to use a "system" of one foot for BOTH functions that's MORE confusing then keeping the functions separate. Unbelievable.

The point is made, you can drive BETTER by using two feet. If it weren't true they wouldn't be doing it.

Another silly bit of nonsense. So now your theory is someone will "tense up" and do the wrong thing. Well gee wiz, what makes you think the person using ONE foot doesn't "tense up" and mash the accelerator pedal when he meant to hit the brake, or hit the brake when he meant to hit the accelerator pedal.

It's about both. Using two feet, instead of letting one of them dangle uselessly, improves safety, no question about it. But it takes the development of the skill, just as using one foot takes the development of that skill. Neither skill is particularly difficult to learn but ONE of them is easily shown to be better on two counts.

1 - there is LESS confusion over what to do, each foot has ONE task. How many more unintended acceleration investigations do you need to realize that some of you one foot drivers are killers who can't tell their gas pedal from their acceleration pedal? 2 - if you learn the skill well, you learn to pre-position your foot over teh brake in situations that had you only been using one foot you would have kept it on the accelerator pedal. With two feet you can keep the right foot in place, just as a one foot drive would, AND pre-position the left foot. Should a problem develop you will have shaved a portion of a second off your reaction-action time for braking. When every second at 60 mph means 88 feet of travel, even shaving a quarter second off the reaction-action time means you stop 22 feet sooner then that guy using just the one foot will do. This is the same benefit the F1 Drivers are using.

And no, nothing you will say will change my mind because I am skilled at driving either way and know from decades of experience that using two feet when you have them available makes for safer driving then letting the left foot sit on the floor uselessly while you yank your right foot back and forth back and forth back and forth.

Most of my driving is with a manual transmission (which I learned on), so my unconscious emergency braking response is going to be using my right foot. Having my left foot in the way is not a good idea.