Is the Automatic Transmission Controlled by One Foot?

[LaGeorge]

Automatic transmissions are controlled using only one foot, specifically the right foot to operate the accelerator and brake. Since there is no clutch pedal for the left foot in an automatic transmission, the left foot remains idle. The standard practice for driving an automatic transmission vehicle is to use only the right foot for both the brake and accelerator. If both feet are used separately for the brake and accelerator, they would both be in a semi-suspended state without a stable support point, which can easily lead to unstable operation of either pedal. An automatic transmission eliminates the need for the driver to manually shift gears, as the vehicle automatically selects the appropriate gear based on speed and traffic conditions. Typically, automatic transmission vehicles have six gear positions, arranged from top to bottom as: P, R, N, D, S, L.