Tips from Vietnamese drivers to avoid accidentally pressing the gas pedal instead of the brake.

Your foot should always be on the brake pedal; to accelerate, simply rotate your ankle to the accelerator pedal. With practice, you'll avoid confusing the brake and accelerator pedals.

Illustrative image.

Anyone who has learned to drive and obtained a driver's license knows: With 14 years of continuous driving experience, I would like to share my knowledge and accumulated experience. Of that time, one-third was spent driving automatic cars.

- Manual transmission: the left foot controls the clutch, the right foot controls both the accelerator and the brake;
- Automatic transmission: There is no clutch, so the left foot does nothing while the right foot is used just like in a manual transmission.

Why is the right foot used to control both the accelerator and brake, whether it's a manual or automatic car?

The accelerator and brake are two opposing systems, and only one system operates at a time (in a typical car). Therefore, having only one pedal responsible for both tasks is appropriate and prevents any malfunctions from occurring when both systems are operating simultaneously.

Confusion between accelerator and brake. The logic behind this is that drivers may confuse the accelerator and brake: using the brake when needed, and dangerously, using the accelerator when needed for braking.

For manual transmission cars, mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake doesn't seem very dangerous. When braking, you also depress the clutch, and the car will simply move by inertia. Although it might initially move faster than inertia because there's no longer engine resistance, it will gradually slow down.

Automatic cars don't have a clutch, and if you use it incorrectly, the car will just accelerate faster and more powerfully, making accidents almost inevitable.

To minimize confusion between the gas and brake pedals and their consequences, manufacturers have technically done the following:

- The brake pedal is on the outside (left) and the accelerator pedal is on the inside (right) (from the center of the driver's seating position);
- The brake pedal is wide, while the accelerator pedal is narrow.
- The brake pedal is higher than the accelerator pedal (when the brake pedal is almost fully depressed, the brake pedal surface is level with the accelerator pedal surface).

Along with technical skills, driver skills are always required:

- When driving, always keep your heel in line with the brake pedal. When using the accelerator, rotate your ankle to the right so your foot is angled towards the accelerator pedal, and when using the brake, rotate your ankle straight so your foot is directly facing the brake pedal.
- When not using the accelerator, you must move your foot to the brake pedal. This is extremely important when driving.

According to VNE