Left Foot Braking

For an edge in the crowded city
^{By Stan Jones from a letter to Jim Kenzie,
Toronto Star, Jul 3, 1996}

I was pleased to read your recent comments in The Star favoring the use of left foot breaking in automatic transmission cars. I've long held the view that left foot breaking, once mastered, gives drivers a definate reaction time advantage. I was curious enough to do my own little survey on this subject which included many people I know in the motorsport community and I'm disappointed to say that ALL the people I talked to use only their right foot.

I put LFB to good use in my days as a car jockey at the Royal York Hotel back in the 60's. I'm a motorsport enthusiast who genuinely loves to drive. And that job I had thirty years ago allowed me to hone my driving skills. I also drove some pretty impressive machines back then. In the six story garage we drove those cars at amazing speeds. Those who didn't use LFB smashed up a lot of cars. I didn't have any crashes and I attribute that, to a large degree, to the faster reaction time of left foot breaking. Why people, especially motorsport types, can't see the merit of LFB mystifies me.

My technique is to have my left heal planted firmly on the floor with my toe gently touching, but not pressing, the break pedal. In city driving I'm poised in this position most of the time. This gives me what I feel is a huge reaction time advantage over right foot breakers. I must emphasize that the foot must be in the poised position to be of any advantage. Furthermore, panic wheel lock-up is less likely using LFB. There is a tendency for right foot breakers to slam on the breaks during a panic stop, locking the wheels. Whereas using the poised left foot it's more of a squeeze which allows split-second modulation. Similar to a finger on the trigger of a gun.

There is another important point that motorsport enthusiasts might give some thought to. Because you can get on the breaks so much fastert using LFB I find I have a better sense of control in automatic cars compared to those with standard transmission. In this way I find automatic cars more SPORTY! It's the control Jim Hall was after with his automatic transmission CAN-AM Chaparral race cars in the 60's. And today's universal use of left foot breaking in Formula 1 clearly shows its advantages of faster reaction time and better car control.

It's just as important in our congested city streets. When that kid jumps out from between those parked cars I know I can react faster with LFB. Much faster! I'm convinced if people learned to use LFB they would become safer drivers. It would save lives. I think it's about time for the motorsport community to embrace and promote LFB as a technique for better and safer driving.

To support my views further here is something
I found on the bookshelf:
The Book Of Expert Driving
E. D. Fales, Jr 1970 Hawthorn books NYC

Left-Foot Braking. For the advanced driver who drives a car with automatic transmission, left-foot braking offers tremendous advantages. (See Chapter XVI.) It gives split-second control if a child runs out or a pedestrian steps hurriedly off the curb. Your left foot is already applying the brake even before your right foot can be lifted off the gas.

When moving through any congested street, especially in a narrow traffic lane, it sometimes pays to drag the left foot on the brake very lightly. This, of course, puts extra wear on the brakes, but it also adds an extraordinary degree of control when maneuvering under risky conditions. Danger of accident is greatly reduced. Don't overdo it, however. Don't let your left foot get into the lazy habit of resting on the brake pedal at all times-as some drivers do. This quickly wears out brake linings.

Page 32 FINESSE AND SOPHISTICATED TECHNIQUES
ADVANTAGES OF LEFT-FOOT BRAKING

Faster braking in emergency. With the left foot always ready over the brake pedal you can apply brakes much sooner. This is especially useful when driving through crowded streets. If a child darts out behind a parked car, the left foot can actually apply the brakes before the right foot can be lifted off the gas. The time and distance saved might easily save a child's life.

When "dragging the brakes" can help. Some drivers intentionally let their left foot rest lightly on the brake pedal when passing through crowded streets (see page 23). Thus, even though the right foot is feeding a little gas, the left foot already has the car under taut control, ready to slam down hard in a fraction of a second for any emergency, such as a running child.

This practice also makes split-second braking possible in any tight highway situation, as when squeezing past a construction area. -

Which method should you learn first (if you are a beginner)? Answer: Learn the right-foot method. Left-foot braking is an improvement that can come later. Most state motor-vehicle departments still require driving-license applicants to use right-foot braking. A good driver will eventually learn to use either foot on the brake, depending on conditions.

Left foot breaking is a controversial subject. Some experts consider it dangerous. But others, who use it regularly, find it has definite advantages.

DISADVANTAGES OF LEFT-FOOT BRAKING

Even learning it has some dangers. Until the left foot becomes "sensitized," beginners accidentally jab the brake too hard, lock wheels, and cause. sudden stops. This error may be made several times during the first few days of learning.

Using left-foot braking has some dangers. During the first few months the error of jabbing the brake pedal too hard can recur now and then. In addition there is always a chance that in a moment of emergency you might not be able to decide which foot to use.

Confusion can occur at night. The left foot cannot handle both the dimmer switch and the brake at once. Right-foot braking is often necessary at night.

Wear on the brakes. One objection raised to left-foot braking is that it encourages a driver to use his brakes more and that it costs more to keep them in repair.

It's habit-forming. If you learn left-foot braking and then switch to a standard-shift car, you may have to unlearn it.