Driving Barefoot
06-10-2017, 02:02 AM
#1
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Driving Barefoot
Do you like to drive your car, especially with a manual transmission, in bare feet?
There are laws in some countries and maybe in some US States against this, and definitely, there are countries that forbid driving a car wearing Flip Flops, such as France. I personally think these laws are idiotic, and I am hard pressed to think of a reason why driving barefoot or even with flip flops, would present any sort of safety hazard. I'd be much more concerned about the floor mat, which if loose could theoretically get wedged under the pedals.
I guess that if you end up in a ditch, upside down, you might wish you were wearing sneakers and socks, but other than for that, what's the issue?
Plus, it is really cool to be driving a nice car and nonchalantly stop at a gas station in February, with snow on the ground, wearing flip flops, and fill your tank. Makes you look eccentric, and I like that.
There are laws in some countries and maybe in some US States against this, and definitely, there are countries that forbid driving a car wearing Flip Flops, such as France. I personally think these laws are idiotic, and I am hard pressed to think of a reason why driving barefoot or even with flip flops, would present any sort of safety hazard. I'd be much more concerned about the floor mat, which if loose could theoretically get wedged under the pedals.
I guess that if you end up in a ditch, upside down, you might wish you were wearing sneakers and socks, but other than for that, what's the issue?
Plus, it is really cool to be driving a nice car and nonchalantly stop at a gas station in February, with snow on the ground, wearing flip flops, and fill your tank. Makes you look eccentric, and I like that.
06-10-2017, 05:14 AM
#2
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I personally go 1.5 sizes up (e.g., if you normally wear a 10.5, take a 12) on my flip flops to help with heel-toe downshifts, while retaining the eccentricity.
06-10-2017, 11:25 AM
#4
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06-10-2017, 12:38 PM
#10
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Some reasons in Illinois why it's illegal to drive barefoot:
1 - small rocks could get stuck in the rubber brake pedal pad that could cause someone who needs to panic-stop to lift off the brake, and therefore, crash
2 - If you need to leave the vehicle in an emergency and quickly, after pulling to the side of the road or having run off the road, it might be difficult to leave if the terrain is rocky, or otherwise hostile to your bare feet
3 - Performing repairs, such as emergency tire changes, can be difficult in bare feet
There are probably other good reasons as well. Wearing flip flops is also known to be problematic because the flip flop can get lodged or stuck in the pedals, either causing the pedal to reduce its ability to fully depress (loss of braking ability), or causing the pedal to stick (unintended acceleration)
All these things in mind, a careful, thoughtful driver should be able to drive barefoot as long as they are cabable of performing full panic stops under 100% braking, and as long as you have a set of shoes quickly available in an emergency situation. That said, you probably don't want to be lacing up your shoes while your car is on fire on the side of a Ricky cliff (<0.001% likelihood).
1 - small rocks could get stuck in the rubber brake pedal pad that could cause someone who needs to panic-stop to lift off the brake, and therefore, crash
2 - If you need to leave the vehicle in an emergency and quickly, after pulling to the side of the road or having run off the road, it might be difficult to leave if the terrain is rocky, or otherwise hostile to your bare feet
3 - Performing repairs, such as emergency tire changes, can be difficult in bare feet
There are probably other good reasons as well. Wearing flip flops is also known to be problematic because the flip flop can get lodged or stuck in the pedals, either causing the pedal to reduce its ability to fully depress (loss of braking ability), or causing the pedal to stick (unintended acceleration)
All these things in mind, a careful, thoughtful driver should be able to drive barefoot as long as they are cabable of performing full panic stops under 100% braking, and as long as you have a set of shoes quickly available in an emergency situation. That said, you probably don't want to be lacing up your shoes while your car is on fire on the side of a Ricky cliff (<0.001% likelihood).
06-10-2017, 01:14 PM
#12
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Thread Starter
Some reasons in Illinois why it's illegal to drive barefoot:
1 - small rocks could get stuck in the rubber brake pedal pad that could cause someone who needs to panic-stop to lift off the brake, and therefore, crash
2 - If you need to leave the vehicle in an emergency and quickly, after pulling to the side of the road or having run off the road, it might be difficult to leave if the terrain is rocky, or otherwise hostile to your bare feet
3 - Performing repairs, such as emergency tire changes, can be difficult in bare feet
There are probably other good reasons as well. Wearing flip flops is also known to be problematic because the flip flop can get lodged or stuck in the pedals, either causing the pedal to reduce its ability to fully depress (loss of braking ability), or causing the pedal to stick (unintended acceleration)
All these things in mind, a careful, thoughtful driver should be able to drive barefoot as long as they are cabable of performing full panic stops under 100% braking, and as long as you have a set of shoes quickly available in an emergency situation. That said, you probably don't want to be lacing up your shoes while your car is on fire on the side of a Ricky cliff (<0.001% likelihood).
1 - small rocks could get stuck in the rubber brake pedal pad that could cause someone who needs to panic-stop to lift off the brake, and therefore, crash
2 - If you need to leave the vehicle in an emergency and quickly, after pulling to the side of the road or having run off the road, it might be difficult to leave if the terrain is rocky, or otherwise hostile to your bare feet
3 - Performing repairs, such as emergency tire changes, can be difficult in bare feet
There are probably other good reasons as well. Wearing flip flops is also known to be problematic because the flip flop can get lodged or stuck in the pedals, either causing the pedal to reduce its ability to fully depress (loss of braking ability), or causing the pedal to stick (unintended acceleration)
All these things in mind, a careful, thoughtful driver should be able to drive barefoot as long as they are cabable of performing full panic stops under 100% braking, and as long as you have a set of shoes quickly available in an emergency situation. That said, you probably don't want to be lacing up your shoes while your car is on fire on the side of a Ricky cliff (<0.001% likelihood).
One does observe, on a daily basis, drivers who are dangerous because of distracted driving from using electronic devices such as smart phones, eating, and conversing, while also operating a motor vehicle. Texting and activities such as that are supposedly the cause of a very high percentage of accidents today; I have seen figures of about 1/3.
This is not to mention those idiots who park themselves in the far left lane on a freeway, going several or more miles under the speed limit, who seem not to notice lots of people being forced to pass them on the right; obviously, they are not paying attention, either.
These above are frequent, dangerous activities leading to accidents. Driving barefoot must be about number 2000 on a list of causes of accidents, or of injury to people, for example, having to exit a car quickly in an emergency :-)
06-10-2017, 01:19 PM
#13
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This is from the internet so you can't be completely certain that it is true, however I pulled up several similar pages with the same information on them:
https://www.reference.com/vehicles/s...289227fb0e05f#
If true, you do not need to wear shoes in Illinois or any other state in order to drive a car.
If your feet really stink, however, it may be more likely that a police officer would give you a ticket rather than just a warning :-)
https://www.reference.com/vehicles/s...289227fb0e05f#
If true, you do not need to wear shoes in Illinois or any other state in order to drive a car.
If your feet really stink, however, it may be more likely that a police officer would give you a ticket rather than just a warning :-)
06-10-2017, 02:01 PM
#14
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06-10-2017, 02:05 PM
#15
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