Driving an automatic car

Yes. It shouldnt be a problem. Just put the gear lever into D. Handbrake down and accelerate as usual.

Starting out you may want to bend your left knee so that your left foot is closer towards the seat. That will prevent you from trying to hit the clutch and accidentally hitting the brake pedal instead.

It won't creep if you have the Autohold function (button that you press to engage it and it stays on until you deselecti t). That temporarily applies the brakes when you stop and releases as soon as you press the accelerator. No need to have your foot on the brake. I have it on my car and assume it's on others but maybe not.

The cars aren't designed for left foot braking. Your left leg doesn't move. In any case, if you were to attempt some sort of rally raid style tick-tacking of the accelerator and brake, you'd damage the transmission pretty quickly.

Autos are the easiest thing in the World. Even in Ireland, something like 70% of new passenger cars are automatic or semi-automatic now. And manual gearboxes will disappear in all but the most fundamental sports cars by the end of the decade.

So get used to them either way.

I drove a manual for over 30 years and last year changed to an automatic diesel Octavia. Honestly love it, don't know why I didn't make the change years ago. I would never go back to a manual now.

Driving autos for 30 years.

I always do left foot braking. It comes naturally after a very short while. I find it allows a quicker response and finer control. Obviously, you must lift your right foot off the accelerator pedal when left foot braking.

Everyone driving an automatic car uses left foot braking when manoeuvring, parking, doing a 3-point turn etc.

I have never encountered a problem using left foot braking in those 30 years of driving auto. You have two feet after all!

Nothing at all to do with rallying. More vehicle control yes, and there really is no chance of damaging the transmission.

It's not for everyone though. It takes a bit of getting used to, and must be 'unlearned' if switching back to a manual (3 pedal) car. For that reason alone I normally do not recommend it blindly, without knowing the experience of the particular driver.

The main problems that drivers new to using an automatic gearbox are:

1. Stamping right foot accidentally on accelerator when meaning to brake with right foot. This error is most dangerous (imo) when manouevering or parking - the car will lunge forward or back at high speed if the gearbox is in Drive or Reverse. Obviously, this scenario can be very dangerous.
2. Attempting to press the 'clutch' with your left foot, as you always did in a manual.There obviously is no clutch, so when you stamp hard on the brake pedal instead (as hard as you would if actually depressing a clutch pedal), you will experience the most severe emergency stop ever.

With left foot breaking, problem #1 above will never arise.

Problem #2 above is much less frequent anyway than #1, and also much less likely to happen if you brake with your left foot only.

Nobody on the road need to left foot brake, if you need that extra reaction time from right foot braking, you are driving too close to the car in front.

as said above, keep your left foot tucked for the first few days to stop imaginary clutching, then it'll be 2nd nature to you in no time, then down the road when you drive a manual again, remember to clutch :D, i am jumping into Manual, Autos, LHD, RHD cars every day, it doesnt even register to me anymore what i am in. you learn very quickly.

Enjoy the Auto, it makes city driving so much easier.

That's why its called automatic. The car does all that clutchwork for you.

You point the car in the correct direction and you go. The control of the accelerator is the "skill" to prevent the need for braking too much.

Its a doddle.

My mum switched in her 70's and got the hang of it on the same day. She wished she had switched many years previously

Another vote for left-foot-braking here.
I've been driving automatic stuff of various kinds for decades, some of which can ONLY be left-foot-braked: industrial loaders, dumpers, etc.
Except for a small truck and some old tractors, everything I drive at the moment is an 'automatic' of some sort.
Everything is braked with my left foot.
It gives so much more fine control in tight/slow manoeuvres, and much smoother transitions when starting off from stopped, particularly on steep slopes.
It's the best way to drive an automatic 4x4 off-roader too, in my opinion.
You have to be more careful with DSG type transmissions of course, as they can get confused if you're clumsy with balancing the two pedals, but that's easily learned.

Just on the handbrake: most automatic drivers rarely use it as it's so convenient to just shift in 'P' (Park), but you should use it a bit occasionally to keep it freed up and functional, otherwise it'll seize up or get sticky and will become an NCT failure.

As I told my wife who resisted driving my automatic for years (and now hates manuals)

You just drive with the one foot only, the right foot, forget about the left foot.

But its a breeze and so much easier than a manual, throw it in D and then one foot driving

Very easy. After a couple of days you'll forget you ever drove manual.

One thing to note, in older automatics you have to press the brake to hold the car at a stop. If you release the brake, but don't press the accelerator, the car will creep forward. In newer auto's there's an 'auto hold' feature where you don't have to do this and to start moving again you just press on the accelerator slightly.

Drove a Ford Granada Automatic in the distant past - it was 'different'

Nowadays the DSG Automatics are amazing in that they allow you to concentrate more on driving than pedal and gear work.

It reminds me of the really old cars that you had to use (or could use) a cranking handle to start them - OK lots of people were sad to see them go because it was a good idea but it's no longer needed in 99.9% of situations.

If you (like me) get a temporary replacement car when your Automatic is in for service -

I drove up to the traffic lights and I was thinking - Why is it 'conking out' - DUH - forgot to press the clutch and take it out of gear.

Manual gearboxes are a thing of the past (fortunately or unfortunately) especially now with Electric Vehicles.

Put your left foot away - under the seat if necessary - one foot driving - right foot only !

Do you left foot brake when driving a manual?

No.

So why complicate matters learning a new skill?

Tuck left foot under seat for first few days.

Simples.