Driver’s Ed Cars: Two Brakes are Better Than One

Most likely, your driving lessons will take place in a special car with a brake on the instructor's side. Check out Groupon's overview of this necessary twin.

When learning to ride a bike, kids rely on a parent's hand gripping their seat. When learning to fly, pilots know that clouds will be there to cushion their fall. Likewise, when learning to drive, new students have a safeguard of their own: an extra brake pedal—sometimes even another steering wheel—on the passenger side, known as a dual-control system. This extra set of controls is a vital failsafe when students find themselves in tricky situations on the road, so many states require it in behind-the-wheel driver’s education classes. Few manufacturers actually produce these special vehicles, but almost any regular car can transform into one with the installation of a simple pulley system, in which the passenger-side pedals are bolted into the floor and connected to the driver's side via a steel cable threaded through the center console.

While it’s not entirely clear who originally invented the dual-control system—or when—its evolution can be seen in a series of 20th century patents. One early version, filed in 1937, simply doubled the number of pedals in one large unit "whereby an instructor teaching a novice to drive an automobile may himself operate the clutch, brake and accelerator in any required manner." Later improvements included a complicated dual-steering mechanism and an adjustable, portable version that could be removed and installed in nearly any car—a valuable innovation in the 1950s, when cars finally began to take on new shapes, sizes, and personalities.