Are Crocs fine to drive in?

[TinfoilTwat]

Teenage dd is learning to drive. I always tell her not to wear Crocs to drive and instead ask her to change into sneakers. She says I'm being weird and random about this, and that Crocs are no better or worse for driving in than other shoes. AIBU? Or, AIBWAR (Am I Being Weird And Random)?

Only if you put them in sports mode.

@pelargoniums this is my favourite comment of all time 😂

YANBU to say she shouldn't drive in them..YABU to have them anywhere near your home at all!

Might be?

Hi there - I'm in Belgium and recently learned that apparently round here, if you drive with flip flops (and I'd take crocs as a kind of flipp flops) you're automatically at fault if you have an accident.

I'd never do it b/o the sliding off/getting wedged under pedal issue.

I'm sure I read similar here (uk) over summer about flip.flops

I think for me it comes under ‘just because you can doesn’t mean you should’.

@TinfoilTwat its not for a learner to say what’s weird or random about driving! They need to be able to accept advice from more experienced drivers or they’re not mature enough to drive IMO!

i had similar with DDs (both have their license) about chunky soles boots . For me, it’s non negotiable. You need to be able to feel the pedals and not have a shoe so wide it might spread across two pedals .

I don't think there's enough "feel" between foot and pedal because of the thick sole, and would be concerned that if one came off my foot it might get lodged under the brake pedal, leaving me unable to slow down/stop.

This. And I wouldn't drive in flip-flops in case they came off and lodged under the brake pedal. And I wouldn't drive barefoot as I don't think I could use the pedals properly without shoes on.

I wouldn't drive in them, like I wouldn't drive in walking boots as you can't feel the pedals properly, or flip flops as I'd worry about them coming off.

I'd get her to speak to her instructor as she'll need to get used to driving in appropriate footwear for her test too.

If you have wide feet that fill the crocs that's like saying people with wide feet shouldn't drive !

I do, and barefoot. To the naysayers, crocs are great if you have a dog

I don’t think so. Particularly for a learner. Any shoe that could come off whilst driving is a risk.
I don’t think you should start learning to drive with bad habits, I’m surprised the instructor hasn’t said something.

I don't think your insurance would be valid if driving in crocs. Worth double checking.

I’ve driven before in my Crocs and one got wedged between the brake and accelerator pedal when I slipped off the brake (couldn’t feel exactly where the pedal was). Gave me the fright of my life and I’ve never worn them to drive again.

www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/road-safety/driving-without-shoes-is-it-illegal/

Presuming OP is in the UK, the above article explains the rules about footwear when driving.

There is no “flip flop law” here that puts you automatically at fault if you have an accident.

Personally I drive in Crocs all the time and the profile of them isn’t any larger than a pair of chunky trainers, for example.

I do think it’s a good idea to get used to driving in different types of shoes, but don’t think your DD choosing Crocs is particularly dangerous.

@midgetastic thats ridiculous! The croc itself has additional width that a regular shoe doesn’t have. A wide foot in regular shoe= fine!

Finally, this

The strap makes them similar to most slip on shoes, so shouldn't be an issue, but probably for more experienced drivers as the sole is too spongy.

I'd even say sneakers we're not particularly suitable, if the sole is thick. Ideally you need something like a loafer so you have more feel from the pedals.

And I wouldn't drive barefoot as I don't think I could use the pedals properly without shoes on.

OK, I can kind of see how people might prefer certain footwear but this has me confused- how do shoes help you operate the pedals in a way that you can't without them?

I definitely wouldn't. I keep a pair of slip on Vans as my driving shoes and then just quickly put on whatever shoes I want to wear at my end destination particularly because I often wear big chunky workboots for work which I wouldn't drive in either as the soles are too thick.

I have driven barefoot back from the beach on multiple occasions which you aren't supposed to do but its literally less than a five minute drive and I only drive as I'm transporting paddle boards etc.

If I was going to stamp on the brakes to do an emergency stop I'd rather be wearing shoes I think!

To those saying that Crocs are too wide or too thick-soled, how do you think tradespeople cope? We all drive in our site boots, which are extremely bulky and rigid. You get used to the feel of the peddles in them.

OP I find Crocs don't slip about on my feet as long as I'm using the heel strap, and are pretty secure. It wouldn't occur to me that they aren't safe to drive in. The only footwear I avoid is flipflops.

I drive in my crocs literally every single day and have never had a single issue. I wear them in standard and with sports mode activated 🤷🏼‍♀️

Meet my feet

They fill the croc

I do have trouble getting shoes to fit and usually my toes are squished to some degree

You win.

It depends on how hard your feet are. If you walk barefoot or have hardened soles then no problems but I personally couldn't. I can't even walk on a pebbled beach without dancing about like a fool so wouldn't be comfortable driving barefoot.

Some clutches are heavy and heavy braking requires a lot of pressure. Shoes offer better grip and spread the load more evenly across your foot so most people can brake harder.

Obviously goes without saying that tights are a no no.