What Shoes Shouldn’t Be Worn for Driving?

By sienna sinclaire | July 5, 2020

While no laws expressly state that you must wear a specific type of shoes while driving, some footwear should never be worn behind the wheel. 

The problem is that your choice of shoe directly affects your ability to control your vehicle. Good footwear gives you excellent grip, stays on your feet, and makes it easy to interact with the pedals. 

On the other hand, bad shoes for driving are those that easily fall off or affect the contact you have with your pedals. With this in mind, some shoes are more dangerous for driving. 

Choosing to wear them increases the likelihood of an accident because mistakes are much easier to make. To help you avoid a foolish accident caused by shoewear, we’ll point out a few styles you should not wear when driving below.

Backless Sandals

Backless sandals are one type of shoe you should avoid.

The problem with backless sandals is that they are not secured to your feet. They are often quite loose, which can cause them to slip off. 

A loose shoe is one of the most dangerous situations you can experience because it can get stuck on your pedals. It may get wedged under your brake, preventing you from stopping. Alternatively, your sandal may get lodged in a position that locks your gas pedal in place.

Your gas and brake pedal must have access to their full range of motion at all times. There must be no obstructions because it will quickly cause an accident.

Backless sandals are incredibly hard to keep on your feet and they will get stuck. Unless your frantic kicking luckily knocks them free, you won’t be able to fix the situation in time to avoid a crash.

Remember this and save your sandals for after you arrive at your destination.

Heels and Platforms

Another problematic shoe type includes heels and platforms.

If you think walking is hard in heels, then how would driving be any easier? To properly operate your car, you need to have good contact with your brake and gas pedals.

The design of heels and platforms inherently makes this difficult.

Let’s start with heels. High-heels are often segmented in a way that has your foot touching the floor at two contact points; your heel and your toes. Between them is an arch, with several inches of clearance that does not contact the ground.

Compared to regular shoes, high-heels have less surface area touching the ground and this makes them a poor choice for using your pedals. 

Furthermore, heels can be unpredictable. You’re likely to rest on your heel, using your toe to control your pedals. This will place pressure on your heel, which can cause it to break. Should this happen, you will suddenly accelerate or decelerate, either of which is dangerous. 

Platforms are also poor driving footwear. While you have a similar surface area touching the ground to a normal shoe, you have less stability due to the height involved. 

Platform shoes offer little control and precision, which can make it hard to accurately press your pedals. It’s easy to slip off the pedal when trying to press down, which can twist your ankle and cause a crash.

As important as heels and platforms may be to complete your outfit, nobody can see your shoes when you’re driving. Remember this and wear something more appropriate during the trip. 

Boots

One shoe style that you might think is a good option is boots, but they are also a poor choice.

Boots are sturdy and have plenty of surface area on the bottom, but the issue is that they’re too bulky. As a result, you’ll have a harder time understanding where your feet are. This is because bigger boots provide less feeling about where your feet are.

Furthermore, boots can be difficult to move in. It takes much more effort to move your foot from one pedal to another when it’s strapped down by a multiple-pound boot.

Unfortunately, boots just hold you back and are too clumsy to drive in. Again, opt for a lighter option when you’re driving.  

Barefoot

Lastly, you should never drive barefoot. 

There are many reasons why you should wear shoes while driving, but the two most important include providing control and precision.

When using your bare feet, it is very easy to slip off the brake or gas pedal. Your feet will naturally accumulate oil and sweat, which will make them slippery.

The other issue is that driving barefoot is usually uncomfortable. The strain of pressing the pedals is often absorbed by your shoes, but this is instead applied directly to your feet. Because of this, it becomes difficult to make quick movements and drive for long periods.

With good shoes, you never have to worry about your feel slipping or losing accuracy. Your best options include closed-toed, flat-bottomed shoes with ankle support. Running shoes and moccasins/loafers tend to be two great options.

Closing Thoughts

While it’s probably the last thing you think about when driving, your shoe choice makes a big difference. Some footwear is particularly dangerous due to lacking support and posing a physical hazard. 

The shoes you should never wear while driving includes backless sandals, heels and platforms, boots, and none at all. 

Make sure to always wear comfortable shoes with plenty of support to give yourself the greatest control over your vehicle. It takes just a few minutes to change shoes and it’s well worth preventing an accident!