Why More Drivers Should Brake With Their Left Foot!

[Ready4Change]

13. Done right: Yes. Done wrong: No.

You've got to judge yourself. If you are good under pressure, or if you are in a position to drill yourself constantly so your automatic reactions do what they are supposed to do (say, as a racing car driver) Fine. Do this.

But face it, most day-to-day drivers are not drilled in their reactions, and are not prepared to react fully and properly to an emergency. They are just running a quick errand to the grocery store, listening to the radio, telling their kids to settle down, wondering what route they should take to get to work so as to avoid traffic and arrive on time.

The problem with the latter, and far more common, driver is that, when they have to emergency brake, they do so with BOTH feet. It's a physiological reaction. And if you commonly brake with your left foot, then you also keep your right foot on the gas. BOTH pedals go down.

At speed, when you floor both pedals, guess what happens? You may not believe it, but your cars engine, plus its speed, will win out over your brakes. Even if you drive an underpowered economy car. Even worse, your driven wheels will keep applying power while your undriven wheels may lock up, resulting in a loss of directional control.

Average drivers are better off using the right foot for gas and brake, and leaving the left foot on the floor, or for the clutch if driving a manual.

It also saves them from being like some people I see, tapping the brakes while going UP hill, because that seems an easier way to adjust sped than adjusting the pressure on the gas pedal. And they wonder why their brakes wear out so quickly?