Is it illegal to drive with your left foot?

No, it's not illegal to drive with your left foot, although cars are designed to be driven primarily with the use of the right foot.

But Australia is a land of vast distances, which means fatigue – physical and mental – is a huge danger to motorists. Boredom can be lethal, as it can lead to massive lapses of judgement from otherwise intelligent people.

So, while there is no specific law forbidding drivers from using their left foot as the primary way of operating a vehicle, the laws of common sense should slap any idea of using your left leg as the primary operator of a vehicle’s foot controls out of your head. But there may be times where you need to use your left leg to operate the brake in an emergency or for unforeseen reasons, like if you had a cramp in your right leg and need to get off the road. And this is one reason why Australian road rules don’t exclude you using your left leg, just in case you come across such a situation.

There are also times where people with disabilities or amputations have to use their left leg, but they have to be tested separately and are subject to restrictions being placed on their licence.

The fact of the matter is that cars were designed for people to use their right leg as the primary operator of the pedals, with the left foot free to operate the clutch in a manual, or tap along to Bruno Mars’ latest catchy hit in an automatic.

Pedal offsets and seating positions are actually designed around these ergonomics by professionals, who probably wear white coats and have officious-looking clipboards – and who are you to argue against a clipboard-carrying, coat-wearing professional?
 
Motorsport enthusiasts will probably be jumping out of their seat at this point to bang on about the left-foot braking technique, but this really has no practical use on public roads, and many professional driving instructors actively discourage people from using their left foot to operate the brake as it is much harder to brake smoothly with that foot compared to their right foot.
 
Though it is incredibly unlikely to be excluded by your insurance company, you should check the Product Disclosure Statement to make sure there are no clauses relating to maintaining the control of your vehicle.

If you do crash while driving using your left leg there is the potential you will be found at fault and were driving in a negligent or dangerous manner, which can lead to fines from the police and potential implications for your insurance cover, depending on the policy you have.

This article is not intended as legal advice. You should check with your local road authority to verify the information written here is suitable to your situation before driving in this manner.