Left-foot braking is a hotly contested topic online. In automatic cars, most people use their right foot to control both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, moving their foot between each to speed up or slow down. For the vast majority of people, that’s how they’re taught to drive.
But there’s a surprising number of people who use their left foot to actuate the brake pedal, and their right foot to control the throttle in normal driving scenarios, either because they were taught that way or they taught themselves, and were never informed differently. It’s considered dangerous because drivers may not know they’re dragging the brakes while driving down the road, or they might confuse the pedals (either by pressing both or the wrong one) in an emergency.
At the same time, there are a couple of legitimate performance-driving reasons you might want to brake with your left foot. Stage rally and road-racing drivers do it to maintain stability through high-speed corners while keeping the throttle pinned, and also to cut down on the time it takes to go from throttle to brakes, and vice versa. Going from the brake pedal to the throttle pedal with your right foot takes just a fraction of a second, but in racing, even the smallest difference counts.
Left-foot braking is also popular in the off-roading space. Skilled drivers will use left-foot braking to smooth out their inputs, maintaining momentum and weight balance as they traverse more challenging obstacles, keeping some pressure on the brakes to prevent the car from making sudden movements.
Whether you think left-foot braking is one of the car world’s ultimate sins or not, Ford has a patent application outlining some ideas to make it easier for drivers. And each is more fascinating than the last.
Choose Your Player
Ford submitted this patent application back in September 2024, and it appeared on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s site yesterday. In essence, it’s a proposal for a design to make it easier for drivers to actuate the brakes via left foot for off-roading purposes, according to Ford. Except, it’s not one design, it’s four distinct designs, packed into one patent application. All four of them seem to have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s dive into it.
1. Movable Pedal
The first of the four designs feels like the most complex. Instead of keeping the brake pedal in a fixed position, the pedal arm is mounted on a jack screw that runs perpendicular to the car within the footwell.
During normal on-road operation, the pedal is in a normal position, next to the throttle pedal. But when the driver wants an easier reach for their left foot, the jack screw rotates and moves the pedal to the left.
Because brake pedals are usually connected directly to the brake system’s master cylinder via a pushrod that connects the two through the firewall, having a pedal that can move left to right means this is no longer possible. Ford has thought of that, adding another, smaller hydraulic cylinder and a brake line that can move alongside the pedal assembly. From the patent application:
[T]he brake assembly may include a small piston, a local cylinder, and a first fluid line. Rather than be operably coupled directly to the master cylinder via the pushrod, the second pedal may be operably coupled to the small piston via the pushrod. The small piston may be operably coupled to the second pedal via the clevis bracket and to the local cylinder. The local cylinder may operably couple the small piston to the first fluid line, which may fluidly couple the local cylinder to the master cylinder.
The one big downside I can see coming from this design is that, when you’re in an emergency situation and instinctively use your right foot to jab the brake pedal, it’ll no longer be in the same place you left it, which probably isn’t great. The next design solves that issue.
2. Flip-Out Pedal
Brake pedal design #2 uses a far simpler approach. The pad is hinged on the left side and can fold out into a wider area, reaching further to the left side of the footwell, making it easier for you to reach it with your left foot.
So long as the pedal never intentionally comes loose and the hinged portion doesn’t start flopping around in the footwell, I think this design is my favorite of the four.
Ford proposes locking it in place with a threaded fastener in the hinge, though it looks like it would require a tool, which feels a bit inconvenient. I guess that’s better than using a simple clip that can be accidentally unclipped by your foot while driving.
3. Deployable Third Pedal
The third design is by far the weirdest, as it involves adding an entirely new pedal to the mix. It proposes adding a pedal where a clutch pedal would be for a manual car that can be folded up within the footwell when not in use. When it’s deployed, it can act like a second brake pedal that’s better positioned for left-foot use.
This design is a bit more complex than the last one, but I still think it’s pretty nice, since it places the new pedal exactly where your left foot would normally sit. Plus, the original brake pedal isn’t affected, so if you panic and use your right foot to stop, it’s still in the same place and, according to Ford, works just the same, whether the third pedal is deployed or not, since it’s still connected to the brake master cylinder.
4. Bolt-On Pedal Extension
The fourth and final design feels like it was lifted from the aftermarket, as it’s a far more straightforward bolt-on approach. Instead of using hinges or moving pedal arms, Ford proposes simply screwing a wider pedal pad onto the existing brake pedal, effectively extending the surface area of the brake pedal to make it easier to reach with your left foot.
This is pretty foolproof, and a common practice across the industry for those who want more surface area for their pedals (people also do this type of mod for throttle pedals, for easier heel-toe downshifting, for instance). While it makes sense, this is another instance where it might be a bit inconvenient to have to screw in three fasteners every time you go off-roading.
I think if I had to choose, I’d probably go with design #2, where the pedal is hinged and can fold out when needed. It’s the cleanest and simplest, and gets away with a wider pedal without crowding the footwell too much. Which one would you have in your car? Or, would you have something different? Or nothing at all? Let me know in the comments. I want to hear the Autopian community’s thoughts on this, and on left-foot braking in general.
Top graphic images: Ford; USPTO
Having driven both manual and automatic transmission cars, I’ve always braked with my right foot.
I went through a bout of neuropathy and caught myself applying pressure to both the brake and accelerator pedals in my (now) automatic car but managed not to crash through the front doors of a convenience store. Or anything else. And fortunately, the neuropathy has resolved itself.
I’ve never been a “performance” driver, and never really mastered heel and toe stuff with the manuals.
Driving in hilly parts of Seattle and environs with a stick, I did master using the hand brake to keep from rolling backwards or abusing the clutch in the manuals, pulling away uphill from stops. I’ve never driven something with the “hill-holder” feature.
I really don’t see any benefit from what Ford has put some engineering effort into. At least for me.
With brake by wire, the extendable 3rd pedal could be programmed for different off road behaviors also. Like in a tractor, where you can activate only the left brake or the right brake to assist with pivoting.
I end up left-foot braking in automatics, but that’s because I’ve basically only ever only driven with a manual gearbox, and my left foot is hardwired to engage the clutch as I slow down. So when I drive an auto I end up slowing down gently, then stamping on the brakes, because I forgot that I don’t need to change gears.
I just shouldn’t be allowed to drive autos really.
Braking with your left I assume there’s actually a far lower chance of pedal confusion than shuffling your right foot across both gas and brake.
And the best drivers (F1) all left foot brake. I believe it was Michael Schumacher who popularized the technique, and it was one of his big advantages over Barrichello who was a staunch right foot braker.
All these pedals assumes that you’re drving an automatic car…
I know the European landscape is way different than the US one… but here in Europe stick driving still rules, and that means that pesky third pedal.
It means there’s no room for all those funky pedals
I see that more as futureproofing some concept more than anything else…. For the time being… once everybody has gone Hybrid or fully electric the clutch pedal will just be a point in history. With only trwo pedals to deal with having the let foot on the left pedal and the right one on the right pedal appears to be obvious.
I left foot break at stoplights when I drive the Dodge so I can give it gas otherwise it stalls.
Yeah, my car gets into those kinds of moods sometimes
I generally left foot brake in my auto DD as it’s mostly second nature to me at this point. Can’t remember a time where it’s been an issue.
During a race I have braked (broke?) with both feet a handful of times. The last one was when I was downshifting into a downhill 4L corner to kick the rear around, so I went to clutch with the left and rev match with the right. My notes were not good and I was carrying too much speed, and both feet piled up on the brake.
Nope. You’re not fooling me. The second my left foot heads towards the brake the ghost of my father will appear and whack me in the back of the head. “Get that left foot away from the brake!”
No way to heel-toe with left foot braking. No thanks.
In an automatic it doesn’t matter. In a stick when you would do it you wouldn’t also be shifting, so again, it doesn’t matter.
Unnecessary
Back in the 80’s when I had a car without cruise and drove long road trips by myself I taught myself to drive with my left foot so I could switch back and forth to prevent fatigue.
When I broke my right foot, I had to use my left foot to drive. Including home from the hospital in my MT BMW. This was aided by the fact that it was 4am and my house was pretty much a straight shot down a divided highway from the hospital so I only had to run through the gears a couple of times, and then could just use my left foot for the gas pedal. Luckily I had recently gotten a truck with an automatic, so I drove that around with my left foot for a couple of months as I was enjoying a long paid vacation since it was a worker’s comp injury.
This could be extremely useful in one particular edge case: both-feet braking. I had to do that when my truck’s booster went out and would definitely have appreciated a bigger brake pedal.
Don’t automatics usually have an extended pad already? The only time left foot braking is bad is when you first try it because your foot isn’t trained for the fine movement of braking. OK, I guess if someone is an idiot and rests their foot on the brake, that’s bad, but even with a very low estimation of the driving capabilities of most people, how many would even do that? For tactical driving, left foot braking works as a more effective traction control, adjusting chassis balance, and reducing reaction time. It’s also good to train your left foot in case your right is injured and can’t work the pedals. While it’s not something I employ in everyday driving, I can switch off feet at will for any pedal. In some cases, I can even drive a manual with one foot, though not if starting from a stop on an incline.
Given that no one drives stick anymore there’s actually no real reason for regular people not to go ahead and do 2 pedal driving, if you do it right you have much faster brake reaction times. Although pedals aren’t placed well for doing it so would get tiring to try and maintain on a long trip. I occasionally do a little when I feel like pretending to be Seb Ogier in the wife’s FWD.
The problem arises when some people would rest their left foot on the brake pedal… causing the brakes to be on a bit.
And that caused premature brake wear as well as wasted gas. I recall seeing idiots do that on a semi regular basis when I was young.
These days, I don’t see people doing that anymore. Instead, the idiots do other idiotic things like driving with their high beams on ALL THE FUCKING TIME.
And also the brake lights either on constantly, or randomly flashing on and off and confusing the hell out of everyone behind them.
My left foot seems to treat the pedal like a switch: it’s either on or off and nothing in between. I might be able to retrain myself, but I’ll just stick with using my right foot.
I’ve always had manual transmissions, but I now find myself with 2 of my 4 vehicles having autos, and before that I’ve only had one other auto transmission. I’ve always driven autos using my left foot for the brake, and I always will, so I don’t need any of these “inventions”.
My mom was one of the weird 2 feet on the pedals in an automatic people and no surprise when my dad tried teaching here stick, before I was born and they were still together, she hated driving stick.
That third peddle looks too much like a clutch for me.
These pedals are for all those people who exclaim they have “two left feet”.
Anyone who has ever driven a go-kart knows that left foot braking works just fine.
My wife broke her right ankle and got so impatient with having to wait for people to drive her around that she took matters into her own hands and taught herself to drive with just her left foot. I was torn between “I don’t know if that is a good idea” and “my wife is a badass.”
my younger daughter is going thru this process now due to a permanent injury of right leg.
it’s very encouraging to know your wife has succeeded with it.
i’m leaning toward her being a badass!
My stepbrother lost his right leg in an accident (when he was 18) so he drives with his left foot. He’s no worse (unfortunately no better either) of a driver than he was before the accident. He even drove a manual truck for awhile without any extra hand controls which I still have no idea how he managed.
that is deeply impressive
Give that stepbrother of yours a “Heel-Toe Ninja” t shirt.
Dealing with lots of mud all over your boots while off-roading, I grew a tendency to left foot brake while trail riding, but most cars don’t really have nice pedal placement for it.
Delivering mail in a wrangler though, I left foot brake 700 plus times a day, 6 days a week, and now braking with my proper foot feels weird.
Side note: Ford, if you’re reading this, do the big brake pedal, and sell a RHD bronco for America for mail carriers. You could call it the pony express. It would be sick.
Instead of something nimble like the LLV or that small Bronco, USPS are giving us large, UPS sized delivery trucks to deliver mail from. They are simply massive and there’s no reason for that girth, especially considering our overall mail/parcel volume has dropped.
There’s a reason for it, I’d imagine. For one, they see the writing on the wall. Our job is going to be less and less mail, and more and more parcels. They wanted a truck that can accommodate that.
That, and they probably were thinking (at the time) that EVs were the future. Bigger footprint, bigger battery. Bigger battery, bigger vehicle. Bigger vehicle, bigger profits.
If they wanted to do what made sense, they’d just give us a RHD high roof pro master or transit. They’re big, they’re out there, they cost less, and they already come in gas and EV.
Personally, I’d be happy as a clam with a 4wd LLV that has airbags.
How the F can they patent the bolt on pedal? As mentioned its such a popular aftermarket mod, but nobody patented it?
Personally I LFB in both manual and automatic, I don’t see a need for a special pedal to do that…
It’s a patent application – undoubtedly it won’t be approved for the reason you specified above, unless it has never been patented before since it’s such an obvious thing.
It’s prior art, so can’t be patented
My guess is that it’s intended for the “virtual gearshift” functions that manufacturers are planning. Maybe all those jokes about Bluetooth clutch pedals got taken literally.
“But there’s a surprising number of people who use their left foot to actuate the brake pedal, and their right foot to control the throttle in normal driving scenarios, either because they were taught that way or they taught themselves, and were never informed differently. It’s considered dangerous because drivers may not know they’re dragging the brakes while driving down the road, or they might confuse the pedals (either by pressing both or the wrong one) in an emergency.”
Tell us you’ve never lived in a city with major hills.
Left foot braking is a thing for a reason.
And guess what – When using your left foot to brake consistently, it’s impossible to confuse which foot is doing what when intending to brake or accelerate.
This would terrify my passengers as I would be far too likely to “shift” and put a third pedal to the floor (which I’d done before in a car with a pedal-actuated parking brake).
Similar to this, my first rental car at 23 was an automatic RAV-4, I’m traveling along and the straight road on the map is now a cul-de-sac for an upcoming neighborhood. I instinctively reach down with my left foot to clutch and move the gear lever to 1st to speed out of there. Except what really happened was I caught the ludicrously wide brake pedal, chirp the tires, and slam it into park while going 15mph.
This all seems like a great way for me to look for a clutch and accidentally put my passengers through the windshield. That fold-down setup especially. I’ve gone clutch pedal searching on automatics before. And sometimes actually found the brake.
Looks like we’ve both tested our passengers’ seatbelts before; you beat me to the same commentary by a few seconds.
The fun part of this motion is that you don’t just lightly ride a clutch pedal as you slow down: you fully commit to pressing it in.
Oh, absolutely. And this activity runs in the family: my dad did the same thing to mom’s family when they were dating. (He learned on Beetles and an Opel Kadett, Mom’s family had a Ford Maverick sedan.)
I have no idea how I even exist after that.
I hate the additional mechanical complexity of all of them, so I guess option two seems the best. I would love the deploy-able pedal, but it just seems so excessively complicated for a commercial passenger vehicle.