Things to make shoes safer

[febury]

I broke my arm a year ago or so and while it was caused by slipping on ice in flats, I've never really felt comfortable in heals since then. But I want to feel comfortable in heals (block heals at least). I see there are things you can stick to the bottom of your shoes to make them less slippy but there are various kinds and I don't want to be lulled into a false sense of security. I worry that I might get cheap ones that might inadvertently cause an accident if they came unstuck...Can anyone recommend a quality product for everyday life?

Or for walking in flats in actual icy conditions too? Because I did so little exercise this winter because I was so scared to go out.

I don’t know anything about products you can buy for that purpose, but It is possible to have a rubber sole added to many shoes/boots by a cobbler. I’ve done this with leather-soled boots and it made a huge difference.

Oh cool, that sounds worth looking into Kiitos. How thick is it? Does it add any real height (I would rather it didn't). Is it quite cheap to get done?

I get all my leather soled shoes sorted at Timpsons - they put a thin rubber sole on which really helps. Think it’s roughly £20-odd - totally worth it. If it’s icy though, nothing really works - I broke a couple of ribs slipping on ice a few years back. You can try yaktrax to put over your shoes/boots which do help (Amazon have them) but depends on the terrain you are walking on.

I hate slipping over. I only buy shoes with decent grip because of this. In winter I like ankle boots. Get ones with a lugged sole. Google ´vibram lugged sole’ to see the type of thing that works. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a super expensive pair of boots, but you want that kind of pattern.
I never ever buy shoes with smooth leather bottoms whatever the season.
A lot of trainers with very flat rubber soles are just about ok in dry conditions but have no grip in wet or icy conditions. But there are enough around with more grippy soles that I just chose carefully.
Even things like more formal leather shoes like brogues or loafers come with a variety of different soles. I just check carefully when I’m choosing a new pair.