Using the foot controls in an automatic

When driving an automatic car, there is one less pedal to think about: there is no clutch pedal so the ABC of accelerator, brake, clutch becomes instead simply accelerator and brake.

That's two pedals and you have two feet. So you should use one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake, right? Well, actually wrong, most would certainly recommend using the right foot to operate both of the pedals, even if this seems odd.

For those who play the piano or a keyboard instrument, if you have to play the same note repeatedly it is recommended that you actually switch fingers where possible when playing the same note. When driving an automatic, it is suggested to use the one foot in most situations.

The reason for this is that it helps with anticipation, alertness and awareness when driving: you have to move your foot from one pedal to the other, and of course it also stops you from performing both operations at the same time, e.g. both braking and accelerating, which clearly is not a good idea and is not good for the long term health of your car either.

The only exception generally given is when driving conditions are such that you are moving slowly, and repeatedly slowing down and speeding up: think queueing in traffic at rush hour and you've got the general idea of when it is fine to have one pedal on each to save having to continually swap, but otherwise it is best to using the same foot to operate the two pedals on the automatic car, accelerator and brake.

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