Do you think two foot driving is safer?
The basic idea is that by using two feet to drive — one for the accelerator and one for the brake — drivers will be less likely to use the wrong pedal by accident.
Because you don’t need to maneuver your right foot back and forth, you reduce the chance of an inaccurate placement. Each foot just hovers over a pedal, pressing straight down when needed. (And if somehow your left foot hovered over too far to the right, it would be pretty obvious because it would likely hit your right foot.)
Of course, there are a few reasons why this might not be a great idea for everyone. If you have some experience driving manual, your left foot is probably used to stamping down much harder on the clutch than is necessary for a brake pedal, a habit that might be hard to unlearn.
Should you use both feet on the pedals when driving?
The prohibition against using your left foot for the brake originally came from the fact that all cars had manual transmissions — so the left foot was needed for the clutch. Nowadays, though, more than 98 percent of cars sold are automatic, and the remainder are usually sports cars with manual stick shifts.
The most often-cited reason that drivers of automatic cars should still use one foot is the idea that, if you use both feet and accidentally step on both pedals at once, you can do serious damage to your car — specifically, putting strain on the torque converter, transmission fluid, and brake fluid.
At our driving centers in Singapore , we have both types of car licenses:
Class 3 driving licence
- You can drive a car with manual transmission and a clutch pedal.
- You can also drive an automatic transmission vehicle (Class 3A)
Class 3A driving licence
- You can drive only an auto transmission car with an automatic transmission.
Therefore with this in mind, our driving centres only teaches ONE foot driving and that is with the RIGHT FOOT ONLY.
Here is a screen shot from the Final Theory of Driving from SPF
The above is taken from Singapore Police Force website on FINAL THEORY OF DRIVING
This taxi driver has a left foot accelerator fitted specially for him
Taxi driver Hong Yong Ming uses a left-foot accelerator to operate the car. He lost control over movements on the right side of his body after a stroke six years ago, but could walk without an aid, he still had numbness in his right leg and hand.
Mr Hong, who worked in the construction industry, wanted to be able to drive again, and was referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Driving Assessment and Rehabilitation Programme (Darp), where he was put through a driving assessment.
Because of a sensory deficit, I didn’t have the fine feeling of how much I was pressing on the accelerator or brake pedal. It was very jerky. It was recommended that he use a left-foot accelerator.
This is an extension gadget which allows him to mechanically control the accelerator pedal, by introducing a second pedal for the left leg. The device also blocks the car’s accelerator pedal on the right. Cab operator Premier accepted his application after doing the necessary checks with the Land Transport Authority and getting a driving assessment report from Darp, he said.
Mr Hong paid about $780 in total to buy and install the removable left-foot accelerator in his taxi. The device can be easily removed, so his relief driver can drive with the normal accelerator.
Taken from Straits Times article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tool-helps-cabby-drive-with-left-foot
Finally, is two foot driving illegal in Singapore?
We do not have a definitive answer to this but as in all matters after you have passed the Traffic Police driving test. How you manage your car is strictly enforced by the Road Traffic Act in our statutes and not by the style you drive.
Therefore, we believe whichever foot best suits your driving habit and usage the only safety contributing factor will be to always drive at road speed limits and obey road traffic signs and most of all have consideration for others.
