Is it legal to drive with your left foot?
Kicking a footy with your left foot might be considered skilful, but the same can’t be said for driving with your left foot. Here’s why.
Is it legal?
While it’s not actually illegal to use your left foot to accelerate and brake on roads in Australia, there are safety risks to ambidextrous driving. Some drivers like to use their left foot for braking and their right foot to operate the accelerator, but this technique isn’t recommended when driving on public roads.
Is it safe?
While you can’t be fined specifically for driving with your left foot, you are more at risk of losing proper control of the vehicle. In fact, you can be fined $228, plus a $105 Victims of Crime Levy for this offence.
Cars are primarily designed to be driven with the right foot operating either the accelerator or brake. According to RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain, using the left foot to brake and accelerate can potentially lead to pedal confusion.
“That’s why it’s advised to only use the right foot for operating the accelerator and brake when you’re driving on public roads,” Charles says.
“The reason for using your right foot is when the foot is removed from the accelerator in order to brake, it’s not possible to inadvertently accelerate.
“Although there have been examples of this where drivers haven’t realised which pedal they were pressing.”
Exceptions to the unwritten rule
If you’ve ever gone from driving an automatic vehicle to a car with a manual transmission, then you know that your left foot is an essential part of driving because it has to be used in conjunction with the accelerator when changing gears and the brake pedal when stopping.
But here’s where your left foot can get you in trouble. When your left foot applies pressure on the clutch pedal without fully pressing it down, you’re likely ‘riding the clutch’, which can reduce the life of your clutch.
To avoid the chances of this happening, rest your left foot on the footrest (also known as the dead pedal), typically found to the left of the clutch in a manual, until you need to use your foot to change gears.
Did you know using the left foot to brake is also common trackside? Most professional race car drivers use their left foot to brake so they can quickly apply more force to the brake pedal, which is crucial for maintaining control when travelling at high speeds around corners.
That said, most of us aren’t professional race car drivers, and public roads certainly aren’t racetracks. This is when it’s best to keep your left foot firmly planted on the footrest, leaving your right foot to do the work.
Final word
“Unless you’re driving a vehicle with a manual transmission, driving using your left foot isn’t required, nor is it safe, and should definitely not be practised on public roads,” Charles says.
As for using both feet interchangeably at the pedals, that’s an entirely different story – literally. Check out our article on whether it’s a good idea to use both feet when driving an automatic.