If you are learning to drive or taking a refresher, you may be curious about the pedals in your car.
Why do some cars have two pedals, and others have three? Is the gas pedal on the left or right? These are good questions to have answered.
In this guide, I describe specifically what each of the pedals is. I will also explain why you should not drive your car with two feet, regardless of what happens.
Is the Gas Pedal on the Left or Right Side?
There’s always a gas pedal on the right side of the driver’s side, no matter where you drive your car.
Whether driving in left-hand configuration or right-hand configuration, the clutch, brake pedal, and gas pedal are the same everywhere.
While saying the gas pedal is on the right side can cause some confusion driving on the left-hand side of the vehicle.
I am speaking about it’s not which side of the car, it is where it is among the pedals.
All cars have a brake pedal on the left and a gas pedal on the right in front of the driver. A manual transmission car may have a clutch parked further to the left.
To your point, the determination of what side of the vehicle you are speaking on is related to if you are determining the size of the driver.
If it’s a left-side driven vehicle, the gas pedal will also on the left-hand side, with the gas pedal being to the right of the pedals. In comparison, a right side vehicle will have all of the pedals on the right and in front of the driver, with the gas pedal being to the right of all of the pedals.
Regardless of which side you drive, you use the right foot to push on the gas pedal. If you want to stop the vehicle, you take your foot off of the accelerator and place your foot brake pedal instead.
Understanding the 2- or 3-Pedal Design
You might have two or three pedals in your vehicle. All vehicles come with at least two pedals. The main two pedals are:
- Gas pedal
- Brake pedal
This is what you have in a vehicle with a regular automatic transmission.
If you have a manual transmission vehicle, you also have a clutch pedal, to the left of the brake pedal. This is pushed down so that you can shift gears.
Aside from either of these two or three ideas, you may see a couple of other levers or pedal-like structures all the way to the left of the floor. One of these may be to engage or disengage the parking brake.
However, it would not be near the other pedals, so there wouldn’t be any confusion. The other could be a footrest, and that does not move and gives you a place to put your foot for relaxation or nothing with casual driving.
Why is the Gas Pedal Placed Lower than the Brake Pedal?
Have you noticed that the gas pedal is slightly lower than the brake pedal in your car? What’s the reason for this? Obviously, it’s not an oversight.
This design keeps your foot from slipping off the gas pedal and pressing the brakes, plus your foot will spend most of its time on the gas pedal.
It will spend more time on a lower throttle pedal than a higher brake pedal, making it easier to maintain control over the throttle in the lower position, but it also is more comfortable for long distances.
Should You Drive With Two Feet?
It is not illegal to drive with both feet, and if you want to drive with both feet, you can. However, should you drive with both feet?
I would suggest that you do not drive like that; it’s shown to be unsafe, and you do not need other issues to deal with when accidents happen.
It would be very easy to confusing which pedal to step on. You could also be riding the brake while accelerating, which is bad for the car.
This will cause you to go through brakes more often and cause confusion with the car behind you because the brake lights will be on.
Instead, stay focused on using your right foot for both gas and brake. You can use your left foot for the clutch if driving a manual or letting it rest for an automatic.
Is the gas pedal always on the right?
Yes. The accelerator is always located on the right side of the driver’s foot. It is true for both left- and right-hand driven vehicles.
That is because, when cars were first invented, most people were right-handed. The person driving the car would naturally use their right foot to accelerate, and the left foot to break.
As most people still use their right foot to accelerate and their left foot to break, this layout remains unchanged.
Which is the gas pedal and which is the brake?
The gas pedal is always to the right of the brake pedal, and the brake pedal is to the left of the gas pedal. For vehicles with manual transmission, the clutch pedal will be to the left of the brake pedal. The same is true no matter what side of the road you drive on.
Is the gas pedal on the left in Europe?
No. The gas pedal is always on the right, and it doesn’t matter where the car was manufactured or where you drive from.
Why don’t we use the left foot for braking?
The left foot would be engaged in operating the clutch in earlier models, which had manual transmissions.
Additionally, there is seldom a time in collision avoidance where an operator would need to apply the brake and accelerate simultaneously, therefore keeping the control mechanism to one foot reduces the risk of both being applied at the same time.