Despite what many people believe, it is not illegal to drive barefoot in North Carolina or any other state. With temperatures in Cary hitting the 90s, you may be tempted to give your feet some air while driving. Yet you need to take care. What you wear, or do not wear, on your feet can affect your ability to drive safely.
To find the best driving shoe, look to race car drivers. Their boots have thin grippy soles, rockered heels and a clean design. You can use those three qualities when judging how safe your shoes are to drive in. Here is what makes a shoe suitable for driving:
- A sole that provides good pedal contact
- A heel that allows your ankle to operate the pedal in comfort
- No loose bits to get caught under or on the pedals
By that measure, driving barefoot does OK, although the sole of your foot does not have the solid platform that the sole of a shoe does, so you need to get used to applying more pedal pressure. It would also make things difficult if you were in a crash and had to walk over broken glass to get away from your vehicle.
Some summer shoes are hard to drive in
Sandals are popular in summer but can move about on your feet and get caught under the pedal or fail to provide the surety of contact you need. Heels and platforms can be troublesome, as your foot may tire due to the unnatural angle, and it can be harder to push the pedal or remove your foot. The small sole area can also cause you to miss the pedal.
If a driver crashes into you, take a look at what they have on their feet. It may explain why they did not brake in time or appeared to push the accelerator when they should have used the brake.
