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Automobile pedal
 
 
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An automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 may have two to four foot pedals. The arrangement is the same for both right- and left-hand traffic. From left to right:

Some vehicles have a parking brake pedal instead of a hand brake
Hand brake

In cars, the hand brake is a latching brake usually used to keep the car stationary. Automobile e-brakes usually consist of a cable directly connected to the brake mechanism on one end and to some type of lever that can be actuated by the driver on the other end....
 lever. Pedals can be either 'hanging' from the bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)

A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are deck and deckheads....
 or 'standing' on the floor.

Since the right foot is normally used (for the accelerator or brake) there is no foot rest on the right, not even in cars with cruise control
Cruise control

Cruise control is a system that automatically controls the rate of motion of a motor vehicle. The driver sets the speed and the system will take over the throttle of the car to maintain the same speed....
.






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Encyclopedia


An automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 may have two to four foot pedals. The arrangement is the same for both right- and left-hand traffic. From left to right:
  • normally operated by the left foot:
    • clutch
      Clutch

      A clutch is a mechanism for transmitting rotation, which can be engaged and disengaged. Clutches are useful in devices that have two rotating shafts....
       pedal, not in the case of automatic transmission
      Automatic transmission

      An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manual transmission....
  • normally operated by the right foot:
    • brake
      Brake

      A brake is a device for applying a force against the friction of the road, slowing or stopping the motion of a machine or vehicle, or alternatively a device to restrain it from starting to move again....
       pedal, which is sometimes wide and elevated above the car floor
    • throttle
      Throttle

      A throttle is the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases ....
       (known as the 'accelerator' or 'gas pedal'), controls fuel and air supply to the automobile's engine
      Engine

      An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input.An engine whose purpose is to produce kinetic energy output from a fuel is called a Wiktionary:prime mover; alternatively, a motor is a device which produces kinetic energy from a preprocessed "fuel" ....
      . It is usually narrow and close to the car floor allowing the driver's heel to rest on the car floor.


Some vehicles have a parking brake pedal instead of a hand brake
Hand brake

In cars, the hand brake is a latching brake usually used to keep the car stationary. Automobile e-brakes usually consist of a cable directly connected to the brake mechanism on one end and to some type of lever that can be actuated by the driver on the other end....
 lever. Pedals can be either 'hanging' from the bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)

A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are deck and deckheads....
 or 'standing' on the floor.

Since the right foot is normally used (for the accelerator or brake) there is no foot rest on the right, not even in cars with cruise control
Cruise control

Cruise control is a system that automatically controls the rate of motion of a motor vehicle. The driver sets the speed and the system will take over the throttle of the car to maintain the same speed....
. The left foot only has to operate the clutch intermittently (or has no function in an automatic vehicle) so sometimes a foot rest is provided to the left of the pedals.

Many cars now include pedals with electric adjustment, a modern iteration of a manual adjustment system available sporadically since the 1950s.

See also

  • Heel-and-toe
    Heel-and-toe

    Heel-and-toe is a driving technique used mostly in performance driving, although some drivers use it on the road in everyday conditions in the interests of effectiveness....
  • Left-foot braking
    Left-foot braking

    Left-foot braking is the technique of using the left foot to operate the brake pedal in an automobile, leaving the right foot dedicated to the throttle pedal....