How to Drive a Stick Shift With a Broken Left Foot

Last Updated: January 20, 2022

Emergencies tend to crop up at the worst possible times. There may come a time in your life where you have to drive someone to the hospital in a stick shift with a broken left foot. Here's how you can do it.

Warning: This is highly dangerous and should only be attempted if you are a seasoned stick shift driver. If you have any problems driving a stick shift, it is much safer to ask someone to drive you, or call professional help in a real emergency.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Unsafe Crutch Method

1
Get in the vehicle.
- Lean your crutch up against the side of the car, right behind the driver's side door.
- Unlock the door while maintaining your balance, and carefully slide into the driver's seat. To avoid further injury, it is advised to slide in with your backside first. If you are using a second crutch, place it on the passenger seat or behind the driver's seat. Do not shut the driver's side door.
2
Set up.
- Insert the key into the ignition, and turn it forward slightly so that the car turns on, but the engine does not start.
- Wind down the driver's side window and reach back for the crutch that you left outside earlier. As you bring the crutch into the car, make sure that the top (the padded under-arm part) is near the upper part of your body.
- When you close the driver's side door, make sure the top of the crutch goes through the open window; it should stick out the window a little bit.
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3
Start up.^{[1]
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- Buckle your seat belt and using your left hand, place the end of the crutch on the clutch pedal (the one on the far left).
- Push the clutch all the way in and apply the brake with your right foot while making sure the car is in neutral with your right hand. If it is, then turn the ignition all the way and wait for the engine to start.
- Once the car turns over, take the crutch off the clutch pedal and remove the emergency brake.
4
'Get it in first gear.’^{[2]
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- With your left hand, use the crutch to push in the clutch again, and with your right hand, shift the car into first gear.
- Grab the steering wheel with your right hand at the 2 o'clock position.
- Take your right foot off of the brake and use it to push in the accelerator, revving the engine to around 2,000 RPMs.
- Slowly release the clutch (using the crutch) until you feel the car start to pull forward.
- Push the gas in further and release the clutch completely (it's a push/pull relationship between the two pedals).
5
Shift up.
- Shifting from first to second is similar to the step above.
- Keeping your eyes on the road, start out with your left hand on the crutch handle and your right hand on the steering wheel.
- When it is safe to shift, move your right hand to the shifter and bring your left thigh up to stabilize the steering wheel.
- With the crutch, push the clutch in and pull the shifter down (into the second gear position) with your right hand. Remember to not give the car gas until after you have released the clutch (push/pull).
- Now you are in second gear. Repeat step 5 to shift into higher gears.
6
Shift down. There may come a point during your drive that you would like to downshift to a lower gear. This may be because you are heading down a steep slope or feel that you want to accelerate at a greater rate.^{[3]
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- Place the crutch on the clutch, take your right foot off of the gas, and move your right hand to the shifter.
- In a quick, smooth motion push in the clutch with the crutch and then move the shifter into the desired lower gear. Remember, it is always best to downshift into the next smallest gear (e.g. if you are in 5th gear, downshift to 4th).
- Once you are in the desired gear, release the clutch and slowly push on the accelerator with your right foot.
- Lastly, bring your right hand up onto the steering wheel.
7
Finishing Up.
- Once you arrive at your destination, park the car, push the clutch in with the crutch, shift the transmission into neutral, and apply the emergency brake.
- Open the driver's side door and lean your crutch(es) outside of the car against the top of the door frame.
- Roll up your window and turn off the car. Shift the transmission into first gear (or reverse) to keep it from rolling. Carefully bring yourself out of the car with the help of your crutch(es) and close the door behind you.
8
Congratulations, you made it! Good luck with that foot!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Safer Clutchless Method

1
Once you have started moving in the car (see the above steps), it is easy to shift gears without using your clutch. The ideal points to shift the car into neutral and then into the higher or lower gear varies depending on the car, but the main method is the same. The main thing to remember is that you have to find the right RPM to shift into the next gear.^{[4]
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2
Shift out of gear at a spot around 3000-3500 RPMs.
3
Add a slight pressure on the gearshift to the next gear. When the RPMs get low enough (around 1500-2000), it should go into gear easily.^{[5]
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4
Practice! It takes time to find the right time to shift in your car.

Warnings

This How-To is intended for persons who already have an understanding of how to drive a manual transmission. If that is not the case, please stop and learn how to drive a stick shift regularly first. More information can be found at How to Drive a Car.

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Many U.S. states (and other places, too) have laws that prohibit operation of motor vehicles by persons in a cast designed to immobilize broken bones while healing. Many of these same places do not differentiate as to what part of the body is in a cast. Check with your authorities before attempting to operate a motor vehicle if you have a part of your body in a cast.

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