To ask if you can drive in any shoes?

[Allmyarseandpeggymartin]

Tried to drive my (newish to me) car in boots with a small 1 inch heel today and constantly felt like I was going to stall the car!

I’ve been driving ages but I can’t see to drive in anything other than flat boots, converse or ballet flat!

Is it just me? What am I doing wrong? I don’t want to be going around revving like a boy racer cos I want to look less like a potato!

I can drive in any shoe but I drive an automatic so don't need to worry about the clutch/changing gears

I used to drive anything, yes. Now it's flats as I got used to them during the pandemic! My colleague drives in just socks all the time!

I don't wear heels but I can drive in anything else - even barefoot in summer as it feels safer than sweaty feet in ballet shoes or sandals.

I won’t even attempt to drive in heels of any kind.
If I’m wearing heels, I drive barefoot and put my shoes on when I get to where I’m going!
When I was still in the army, I couldn’t drive a normal car in my boots either. Land rovers and the armoured vehicle I had a license for I could drive in boots no bother, but my own car?! Felt like I was wearing clown shoes.

@Sartre

Also pretty sure it’s illegal to drive barefoot so surprised so many of you have even tried that!

Hmm, it's not technically illegal.

You need appropriate footwear, but all that really means is if you cause an accident because you failed to break (for example) in time and you were bare foot or wearing flip flops, you could get in trouble for it.

I can't drive in walking boots or anything too clompy, but yeah heels no problem. I've driven in flip flops once, didn't feel safe

There are rules in Japan about driving in clogs or platforms, as you can get one stuck under a pedal. I can’t drive in platforms myself.

I drive in everything and anything.

DH can't handle too sturdy or flimsy a sole - it seems to affect him!

I can drive in any shoes/heels etc. I actually prefer driving barefoot but I know it's not allowed so I don't

I’m not comfortable driving in anything besides trainers or flat boots with a grip. I drove in Birkenstocks once, and was so paranoid about it getting caught under the pedal. Driving in high heels just seems really dangerous to me too.

Can generally drive in anything but always slip off flip flops and drive barefoot if I'm wearing them as it feels safer. Although a police officer friend told me driving barefoot is illegal - not sure if that's true.

Yes, I mostly drive in muck boot wellies though.

Can drive in anything other than flip flops - bare feet instead

@Sartre

Also pretty sure it’s illegal to drive barefoot so surprised so many of you have even tried that!

It’s not illegal. I am much safer driving barefoot than I would be driving in sandals which could be caught under the pedals. I don’t see how it would be a problem but then I have size 9 feet so perhaps it is an issue for smaller feet.

This thread makes me feel a lot better!

Thinking about it they had a pretty thick sole, probably was that rather than the heel. I couldn’t feel “the bite” very well. Shame - back to my tatty converse.

Thanks for sharing that link @HundredMilesAnHour I’d always wondered about the driving barefoot.
Hate flip flops and sliders anyway - I end up walking like a duck keeping them on my feet (so elegant!)

Interesting the op who said you can’t drive in flip flops in Spain! Who knew!

I have size 3 feet, I can't imagine driving barefoot!

OP be aware Highway Code 97 states that, before setting out on a journey in a car, it’s important that “clothing and footwear do not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner”.

However, if the police spot you or you are stopped or involved in an accident with inappropriate footwear they may well apply the ‘Driving Without Due Care and Attention’ offence, under ‘Careless Driving’, codenamed CD10, CD20 – ‘Driving without reasonable consideration for other road users’ – or CD30 – ‘Driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users’

I much prefer driving in flats. I can drive in heels/barefoot but I don’t likemit.

I only drive barefoot and have done so for over 30 years as has DH. No problem in modern cars (although I mainly drive an auto).

@wannadisc0

I only passed my test 6 months ago and I find it very strange to drive in any shoes other than the trainers I wore for my lessons! I have recently started occasionally driving in flat boots but I don't like it, I'd rather wear my trainers and change. Goodness knows what I'll do when these trainers wear out!

I was the same for the first year I drove. Have been fine since but I really remember that situation.

@PheasantsNest

I can drive in any shoes/boots/trainers.

So can I, but my favourite is bare feet, I took my driving test in bare feet because at the time I always wore Scholl wooden sandals and couldn't feel the pedals.

I remember driving in trainers once and somehow my shoelaces got tangled around the foot pedals and I couldn't get my foot to the brakes. I was driving at 70 on an A road at the time and had to use the hand brake to stop. It was very scary!

You get used to it. I wear heavy work boots and have in the past driven transits and I felt really out of sorts at first. But I am used to it now.

I won't drive in heels (feels strange) or flip flops so if I have either of those I put another pair of shoes on in the car

I'm another who keeps a pair of flats in the car. Can drive in lightweight wellies (muckboots) but not heels and not chunky soled wellies. I'm sure I read somewhere you're not allowed to drive in flipflops but I might be wrong.