Another day - another stupid poll: Bare feet & driving

[eddy]

If I have a flip flop on I do take it off as I feel it is more dangerous to drive with it on. I have less sensation and I always feel like the back end of the shoe could get caught on the floor and disturb my driving. 

[puppyluv]

I live in a beach town and wear flip flops every day of the year. I drive in flip flops every day and barefoot when I am on my way home from the beach and my flips flops are somewhere else in the car.

[tiki]

My husband grew up in Hawaii, so they were usually barefoot or at most wearing terrible loose flip flops. He almost always drove barefoot, and still does frequently in summer. I can't do it. Everything feels too weird.

[klingklang77]

No. I drive manual. I need a firm grip on all the pedals with a nice flat shoe. Flip flops are too dangerous and can screw up the clutch if it gets caught, resulting in grinding of the gears. Manual is the only way to drive, IMO.

[stemmie]

Not anymore.

I did as a teen but only when staying at the beach and the drive was only 1/2 mile to the house. FWIW, I didn't have a license most of the time then either. One of dad's cars was an old MG with a poorly insulated engine-- the floors and pedals in that car got too hot to drive comfortably even in flip flops.

[krystee]

I did it one time when I was wearing wedges and they didn’t feel safe to drive in. I hate the feeling of bare feet on the pedal, though, so I haven’t done it since.

I also thought it was illegal based on what my parents told me, but I was wrong.

[AJL]

May 5, 2023 6:47:22 GMT -5 ECB said:

May 4, 2023 16:47:42 GMT -5 AJL said:

This seems super dangerous. I've done it once or twice but mostly to move the car into the garage, out of the garage, etc. I've never actually driven anywhere without shoes on.

I really want to know what seems "super dangerous" about it.  I read the article and I can understand the reasons NOT to - but even then, "super dangerous"?

Like others, I feel flip flops are more dangerous.  At least depending on the flip flop.  In some, my feet slide in the shoe, and a couple times, I've felt the shoe shift to the right or left but not my foot as I switch from the accelerator to brake or vice versa.  Or even my foot will slide down the shoe, almost out of it.  THAT makes me nervous!  So I usually take my right flop off to drive.  

I feel much more in control in bare feet than in flip flops.  

I don't know. It's not a judgment. I have this weird thing about toe injuries. I have visions of like getting my foot scraped by the pedal. Honestly, I don't know. It just seems like it could be dangerous. Maybe it's not.

I really don't care if anyone wants to drive barefoot or in flip flops. You do you. As the thread title says, this is a stupid poll. I mean, really who cares?

[vamoose]

Yes, I often remove sandals and heels before driving. I am frankly surprised that so many people don’t.

[meanie]

No but my H sometimes does.

He is from NH and sorry NH people but this totally feels like something that you all do up there 🤣

[penguingrrl]

May 5, 2023 14:08:04 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

No. I drive manual. I need a firm grip on all the pedals with a nice flat shoe. Flip flops are too dangerous and can screw up the clutch if it gets caught, resulting in grinding of the gears. Manual is the only way to drive, IMO.

I only drove manual h til I was 30 and now they’re just too hard to find. Which sucks because I hate driving automatic, it feels like Inhave absolutely no control. But manuals are never available and most electric cars don’t even have gearshifts, so auto will win out sadly.

@@@
My 10 year old asked this week why I only drive with my left hand. I didn’t notice until he said it, but my hand is always on my gearshift.

[klingklang77]

May 5, 2023 21:57:25 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

May 5, 2023 14:08:04 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

No. I drive manual. I need a firm grip on all the pedals with a nice flat shoe. Flip flops are too dangerous and can screw up the clutch if it gets caught, resulting in grinding of the gears. Manual is the only way to drive, IMO.

I only drove manual h til I was 30 and now they’re just too hard to find. Which sucks because I hate driving automatic, it feels like Inhave absolutely no control. But manuals are never available and most electric cars don’t even have gearshifts, so auto will win out sadly.

@@@
My 10 year old asked this week why I only drive with my left hand. I didn’t notice until he said it, but my hand is always on my gearshift.

I live in Germany and sadly manuals are also becoming obsolete here. I am looking to buy or lease a new car because my car is rusting and I walked into a dealership and requested a manual car. They are few and far between. But they did have one. They explained they only do manuals on sports cars now and small cars. I am thinking about keeping my old car because I love it so much, but I don’t think it will pass inspection. 

Sometimes I have no hands on the wheel. It’s truly an art to do other things while driving a manual, lol. 

[dreamcrisp1]

I have before when I was wearing high heels and forgot to bring flats to drive. Stiletto heels get stuck so I think it was safer to drive without shoes than with those. But I haven’t done this in many years since I only wear block/chunky heels these days.

[penguingrrl]

May 6, 2023 1:33:10 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

May 5, 2023 21:57:25 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

I only drove manual h til I was 30 and now they’re just too hard to find. Which sucks because I hate driving automatic, it feels like Inhave absolutely no control. But manuals are never available and most electric cars don’t even have gearshifts, so auto will win out sadly.

@@@
My 10 year old asked this week why I only drive with my left hand. I didn’t notice until he said it, but my hand is always on my gearshift.

I live in Germany and sadly manuals are also becoming obsolete here. I am looking to buy or lease a new car because my car is rusting and I walked into a dealership and requested a manual car. They are few and far between. But they did have one. They explained they only do manuals on sports cars now and small cars. I am thinking about keeping my old car because I love it so much, but I don’t think it will pass inspection. 

Sometimes I have no hands on the wheel. It’s truly an art to do other things while driving a manual, lol. 

Yeah, it’s a dying type of car, which stinks! I keep looking when I buy cars, but can’t find them at all anymore.

[aurora]

May 5, 2023 14:08:04 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

No. I drive manual. I need a firm grip on all the pedals with a nice flat shoe. Flip flops are too dangerous and can screw up the clutch if it gets caught, resulting in grinding of the gears. Manual is the only way to drive, IMO.

I also drive a manual and from this thread assume "flip flop" must mean something different to me than others because I have never once had anything close to a mishap.

[aurora]

May 6, 2023 7:39:17 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

May 6, 2023 1:33:10 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

I live in Germany and sadly manuals are also becoming obsolete here. I am looking to buy or lease a new car because my car is rusting and I walked into a dealership and requested a manual car. They are few and far between. But they did have one. They explained they only do manuals on sports cars now and small cars. I am thinking about keeping my old car because I love it so much, but I don’t think it will pass inspection. 

Sometimes I have no hands on the wheel. It’s truly an art to do other things while driving a manual, lol. 

Yeah, it’s a dying type of car, which stinks! I keep looking when I buy cars, but can’t find them at all anymore.

We actually special-ordered mine a decade ago. I mean, it was officially one of the available options so they were being made, just *really* hard to find.

I'm assuming it won't be an option when I have to replace this car so I'm planning to keep it as long as it will run.

[Jalapeñomel]

May 6, 2023 7:39:17 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

May 6, 2023 1:33:10 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

I live in Germany and sadly manuals are also becoming obsolete here. I am looking to buy or lease a new car because my car is rusting and I walked into a dealership and requested a manual car. They are few and far between. But they did have one. They explained they only do manuals on sports cars now and small cars. I am thinking about keeping my old car because I love it so much, but I don’t think it will pass inspection. 

Sometimes I have no hands on the wheel. It’s truly an art to do other things while driving a manual, lol. 

Yeah, it’s a dying type of car, which stinks! I keep looking when I buy cars, but can’t find them at all anymore.

We tried to find one with no luck and without special ordering, time, and more money.

It seems like driving barefoot would be safer.

[basilosaurus]

Since this thread I've found myself observing footwear. Probably 90% slip ons, and of those, majority athletic slide style. And of the real shoes it's mostly kids.

As I said, I don't take this for safe endorsement. This is a place where people wedge an infant between mom and dad (not sitting, actually wedged chest height) on a motorbike and where I've never seen a child wearing a helmet, even if driver is.

But I do think that when you only wear such a shoe, it's less slippy, for lack of a real word, because it just becomes an extension of your foot. I used to walk on needle rock (I'm not sure this exists in America, but it's exposed ancient coral reef that is sharp enough to pierce some shoes) barefoot b/c I hardly wore shoes for months. How is that worse than a shoe? There's tactile feedback.

But I do get the ick factor others have mentioned. I've certainly felt that.

Or maybe I'm completely out of touch and influenced too much by growing up in a place where balancing infants on a motorbike is seen as normal and safe. This is likely it even if I still gasp everytime I see it (daily).

[sillygoosegirl]

I have, but it was awful, so I make it a point now to have alternate shoes in the car at times when I know that I'm going to be desparate to take my shoes off in the car.