Barefoot driving, Driving with shoes and Safe driving

Table of Contents

Introduction :

For many people it is easy to drive barefoot and for many people they feel their vehicle under their control when they drive with shoes on. It’s totally a personal choice if a person want to go for the barefoot driving or if the person want to go for the driving with their shoes on. It’s all on the comfort zone of a driver however both the driving practices have their perks and problems associated with them. And in many countries there are not much rules present regarding the barefoot driving and it is legal in many countries including India, USA, Australia etc. but still many times it is being told to many barefoot drivers to go with their shoes on whenever they are driving as they can get a ticket if they may get involved in any accident ( ticket will be rendered because of negligence and irresponsibility while driving ). Here we learn all about barefoot driving, driving with shoes and all the aspects related to safe driving with footwears.

Barefoot driving :

When I was researching on barefoot driving I found that many people still drive barefoot and feel the machine under their control however barefoot driving is not safe and because of this reason many think that it is an illegal practice. Safe driving many times depend on the type of footwear we use while driving even barefoot driving is all ok if you feel that you can manage your vehicle well.

Is barefoot driving dangerous ?

Barefoot driving have many merits and demerits and both the point of views are very well described in the following:

Merits of barefoot driving :

Discarded footwears around the place of the car pedals can interfere in the working of car pedals ( i.e. clutch, accelerator and brakes ) and this is one of the of the most important thing which a person who is driving should always keep in the mind while going for the barefoot driving as footwears can interference in the pedals and it can turn out to be a haphazard situation for all the people sitting inside the car.
Slipping of feet from the pedals can invite accidents which can result ultimately in the worst scenarios. But how can feet slip from rubber ? How can lower portion of the feet can get wet inside the car? The answer to all these questions is that the bottom of the feet have more sweat glands than other any parts ( including front portion of hands ) of the body and in the summer season, feet can easily get sweaty which will make your get feet wet inside the car and this can make your feet to slip again and again. And sometimes according to my personal experience an itching also occur when bottom of the feet comes in contact with the rubber of the pedals and it all makes difficulty in driving.
Driving barefoot puts more strain on the foot and barefooted long hours can be a potential reason for the soreness and pain in your foot and legs, this could be a cause for spasm in your feet.
In winter season it will become a difficult situation for you to drive barefoot and this can also attract an unfortunate situation for you.
Again and again pushing of clutch can stress your foot and ultimately with this the active handling of your vehicle decreases. This happens specially in the traffic and when the traffic is moving slowly. We have to keep our engine alive and for this continuous punching of clutch happen. This is all good for a short period of time but when you have to do it continuously to keep your car alive then it will be a laborious thing.
Your feet can get filthy easily from the unclean carpet because a driver have to use shoes to get in and out of the car which will bring filth and dirt inside the car causing your feet dirty.
you can also forget your shoes at different places if you are more into barefoot driving because wearing and untangling of shoes will ask for your extra effort to keep these things in your mind but in urgent situations you will not be able to entertain these thoughts which will turn out to be a difficult situation.

So far the demerits of the barefoot driving is told but there are merits also for driving barefoot :

Merits of driving barefoot :

Without shoes on, you can feel your pedals under you and this makes driving an easy job for people initially.
In Pan India we respect everything and that includes all cars as well so in many places as a token of respect many people don’t like driving with their shoes on. And when we respect something we take extra care of it.
When you drive for long period of time then you will feel all the pressure is on your feet and driving long trips with shoes on can hamper the blood flow in your feet as shoes totally close the feet and make your feet numb if you drive for longer period of time.
One of the best thing about barefoot driving is that our foot feel free while driving which is most of the time is very comforting thing for a driver and with this easy wheezy barefoot movement we tend to drive more confidently.

Is Barefoot driving Illegal ?

Different countries follow different rules for driving practices, in many countries driving barefoot is legal including India, USA and many more. Driving barefoot is not illegal in many countries but one have to consider personal safety and safety of the passengers in the car and also one have to ensure the safety of other peoples and vehicles on the road. So if you get somehow involved in an accident and you are not wearing shoes then surely the blame is going to be on your barefoot driving ( irresponsible driving ) and this will be then breaking of law and for sure you are going to fined.

Why this misconception of barefoot driving is illegal believed to be true ?

Many people believe that driving barefoot is illegal but this is only a myth which many believe is true. Since so many people wear shoes while driving so this has made through the years a great evidence for barefoot driving as illegal. And it’s being taught to everyone that you are surely going to get a ticket despite knowing what are the actual rules and laws regarding barefoot driving in their state.

People in shoes looks more decent and many people don’t want to go into the hassle of wearing and untangling their shoes again and again. And this barefoot driving though sometimes is a comforting practice but it can be a call for a haphazard situation as untangled shoes can get stuck with the car pedals and this can cause interruptions in driving that can become a potential reason for tough situations as well and many times fatalities can also occur because of negligence.

Driving with Shoes :

It is basically the more preferred and more accepted practice while driving which many drivers follow mostly (I also personally go with shoes on). And there are also many pros and problems with wearing shoes while driving :

Merits of driving with shoes :

Driving with shoes on can prevent many major unfortunate situations as shoes will help you provide great traction force every time you need it.
The pressure from continuous clutch pressing and brake pressing can be totally distributed to the full foot with the help of shoes and this easily decreases the strain from specific portion of foot ( majorly the front portion of foot is in all action when handling pedals) .
With shoes you cannot fall prey to the situation in which shoes can get stuck under the pedals which results in unfortunate scenario. Many times when you prefer barefoot driving more then the untangled shoes can get under the pedals which will turn out to be a very dangerous situation if shoes get stuck under the pedals somehow.
In winters you will be very thankful for having this habit of driving with shoes on because in cold climate your feet will feel cold and it will be a very difficult situation for you to handle your cars well.

Demerits of driving with shoes :

We wear shoes many times to get comfortable but many times when we are on long trips our shoes are the ones which makes us uncomfortable. The shoes restricts the movement of foot inside it and because of this blood flow and circulation of blood also decreases and this tenses our muscles and blood capillaries of foot.
Uncomfortable shoes can cause you trouble and because of your uncomfortable shoes you can also land into tough situations. In many countries the government have even given instructions on what kind of shoes one should wear while driving. Instruction for shoes are majorly having points like shoes must not limit your ankle movement, shoes should not be too heavy etc.

Their are also driving shoes which have thin sole because of which pedals can be easily felt, this helps easy handling of the vehicle. The driving shoes are not much comfortable for walking purpose but they are of great use when it comes to driving.

Which is preferred for safe driving : BArefoot driving or driving with shoes

Many people loves driving barefoot and many cannot zone out from the comfort provided by shoes while driving. Both practices asks for your attention on the road, so the most important thing is attentiveness. And when you have to choose from both the things then go with the one you feel more comfort in just keep in mind that if you somehow you get involved in any accident then your barefoot driving is going to be questioned ( for negligence and irresponsible driving ) and if you don’t want such kind of situation then you have to be more attentive.

When wearing footwears other than shoes like high heels, wedges, flipflops and other comfortable flats which can get stuck in the pedals and can cause difficult situation for you ( for instance : If you are using flip flops or open shoes then they can get stuck under the pedals which will hamper the immediate action thus causing tough situation for you). So you should show more responsibility while driving because it is going to be a hard situation for you and other people.