To think that people who HAVE to drive in bare feet are a bit odd?

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Why? They didn't learn or pass their test in bare feet did they?

I don't really care what other people do, to be honest, but I went on a trip with some colleagues yesterday, and the woman driving made such a bloody fuss about taking her shoes off 'ooh I sinply can't drive with shoes on, I have to have bare feet to feel the pedals with'

Just made her look daft.

Although I don't HAVE to drive in bare feet

I always drive bare foot if i get into the car with flipflops as i find it hard to drive in them. I love driving bare foot but i don't think you are supposed to.

Of course I do not do this in the winter - or even if i have strappy sandals on as i can't be bothered to take them off.

When I was first learning to drive, I would only drive in bare feet as I found it hard to find the biting point with shoes on. I was told though that it would be frowned on to drive in bare feet for my test and I wore a pair of very thin soled shoes.

These days (some 20 years later), I'll drive in more or less any shoes/boots (probably deriving from the fashion of wearing DM's in the early '90's and they were such a pain to take on/off every time I got in/out of the car).

I can only drive in my driving boots.....I change my shoes every day when I get in the car......it's been nearly 2 years since I passed ! They are my william's wish wellingtons.....not really, an old pair of brown boots, I only feel confortable when I drive in them !

Why do we say IN bare feet

we are not wearing them

Charley - do you have to wear the boots in the height of summer when you are wearing shorts, or when you are all dolled up for a night out?

I think it's easy to drive on motorways, as I drive on them all the time. Not so easy when I go down to Devon and try to get up 1 in 4 hills in 5th (am not used to driving in hilly places.

So am probably a danger on teh roads myself

correct le Queen

We dont say I am wearing a dress IN BARE ARMS

I have always driven in bare feet, though I wore a pair of flat shoes for my driving test. I have this feeling when wearing shoes that there is always a risk of your feet slipping or a heel getting caught somewhere. I am a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists so think I am an OK driver ( can't remember if I had to wear shoes for that test)It just seems more natural to me, but don't make a fuss about it

i didnt know your insurance becomes invalid, ouch!
i couldnt do it because i seem to have installed a lovely gravel patch in the footwell of my car....

oh and people who wont drive on motorways are a bit ridiculous. [bar those with awful accident history obviously]

I used to drive to my mates house fully dressed up ready for a night out including the most enormous heels.

I could never imagine trying to drive bare foot. I once tried to get the car off the street on to the drive wearing flip-flops and stalled THREE times

For some reason I have always thought it was illegal to drive in bare feet

I couldn't do it though. I should think it feels all...naked.

It IS illegal if it contributes to dangerous driving. When I rolled my 4x4 on the motorway a few years ago, both my flip flops fell off and I was stood in bare feet at the side of the road. The first question the police asked me was "Did you have shoes on??"...

The same also applies to driving in Wellies apparently....

got into a mess once driving in flip flops, pedal got stuck between toes and rubber sole! would have been safer bare

yabu

I love driving in bare feet. I would never drive in heels or flip flops, so flats / boots or bare feet it is.

It is recommended not to drive barefoot because you don't have the same braking force as you do with shoes and there is more potental for bare feet to slip off pedals.

As previous poster says it invalidated her insurance so there must be evidence of it not being safe.

Oh dear Getorf - I fear I display all your 'silly woman driver' traits :

• cannot parallel park to save my life - parking bays are fine though
• don't really like driving on motorways - for all the reasons Giddy sets out so eloquently (DH has suggested a trip to his office halfway round the M25 to collect his new car tomorrow, so looks like I will be getting some much-needed practice...)
• would sooner stick hot needles in my eyes than drive in central London (probably based on the 2 issues above)

In my defence, I learnt to drive in my late twenties, in greater London. On about my third lesson ever, I kept stalling at a set of traffic lights, so they changed through green to red a couple of times.
A driver behind got out of his car, knocked on the instructor's window and shouted "What is she doing?" Instructor replied - "Having a driving lesson" (!) Driver shouted "Well, she shouldn't be on the roads on a SATURDAY MORNING, she's holding me up and I have got things to do!"

That really helped with finding the biting point next time the lights went green...

So, I would say I am a careful and competant driver, but am not overflowing with confidence, particularly in new situations.

wrt to footwear - have recently graduated from flat shoes only to Birkenstocks and flip flops. And I have driven in bare feet too, when I have forgotten my spares. Wouldn't attempt heels - don't want to trash them.

I do not envisage a day when I will ever be able to drive in wedges!

If i am wearing ballet flats or flip flops i take off the left one as i find the shoe can slip off a bit and make it harder to control the clutch.

I have tried driving completely barefooted, but found it sore on my other foot when braking.

YABU. I hate driving with shoes. I can't feel where the pedals are! I've had to learn to drive with boots etc. because of work, but it's awful.

I can't swallow that line about feet slipping off the pedals; or maybe my verrucas give my feet too much grip for it to be a worry?

The worst are shoes with heels on them because then you really can't feel it sometimes when you're actually pressing on the pedals; scarey! Not to be risked.

I had to drive with one bare foot and one flip flop today. My other flip flop died while I was out! I hated it - it felt WIERD!

I have no problem driving in flipflops. My trainers get wedged between the accelerator and the side of the car, I find that far scarier.

well, i'm not a confident driver, but I can drive in flipflops, heels, mules etc.

And LeQueen, I'm not great in city centres, but that's more that I'm terrible at remembering directions and working out where i'm supposed to be going than not being in control of the car, so you'd be safe being a passanger with me, so long as you're a decent map reader...