Five Types of Shoes You Shouldn’t Wear To Your Driving Lessons

So many things can affect your ability to drive a car to the point where you are able to pass your driving test and become fully licensed. While confidence, knowledge of the rules of the road and the conditions you are driving in all play a huge part, there are also a lot of smaller issues that can wreak havoc on your driving ability.

One of the more common, but rarely recognised, issues is the type of footwear you have on when operating a vehicle. After all, your feet are extremely important when it comes to handling the pedals of the car, so you need to ensure you are wearing appropriate footwear at all times. Here we take a look at some of the types of shoes that you should avoid wearing when driving.

5. Heels

Coming in first are high heels. Now we know they make for an excellent fashion accessory and many a lady likes to wear a good pair of heels, but wearing them while driving is a major no-no, as they can really impair your ability to operate the pedals.

Not only does the heel itself prevent you from pressing on pedals as easily as you would like, but they can also get snagged on the floor when your feet are changing position.

4. Platform Boots

Following hot on the heels of…erm heels, is the platform boot. These make for a rather odd choice when driving for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the thick sole of a platform boot means that you have less of an idea of how much pressure you are placing on the pedal. Because your ability to feel the pedal underneath your foot is lost, you may end up placing a lot more pressure on the pedal than necessary, which can lead to accidents. Secondly, they simply make it difficult to move your feet around in a confined space, which is not something you should be aiming for when driving.

3. Slippers

Now, on the surface the slipper can seem like a good driving shoe. After all, they are comfortable, flat enough for you to operate the pedals with and generally just seem like a good choice all around.

However, remember the name when you are stepping into the car. Slippers are so called because of the ease in which you can slip them on and offer your feet. Consider the fact that you’re feet are constantly moving around when you are driving and then think of the issues that could be caused should your slipper do what the name implies.

2. Flip Flops

The humble flip flop simply does not afford the level of flexibility that your feet need to drive safely, instead offering a flat base that needs to be held on by your toes to ensure it doesn’t fall off.

If you don’t keep a good grip with your toes, the flip flop may come off and cause havoc with the pedals. Furthermore, they are liable to slip off the pedals and reduce your reaction times, making them a bad choice all round.

1. Bare Feet

Sometimes it seems like the best option is to simply wear no shoes at all, but even that presents plenty of hazards that you should be aware of. For a start, bare feet are much more likely to slip off the pedals as a result of perspiration, which can cause untold damage if it happens at the worst time.

Furthermore, you will find that long drives can cause cramp in your foot. Imagine being on the motorway and suddenly having an intense pain shooting throughout your foot. It’s not an ideal situation at the best of times.