Why is it illegal to drive barefoot?
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
United States
May 19, 2009 7:38pm CST
why is it illegal to drive barefoot? i mean wouldnt you be able to grip the petal better with your bare feet? i know i cant drive for crap in heels but yet fine in tennis shoes but i cant imagine being worse at driving with bare feet than with my heels lol..
so anyone know?
4 people like this
11 responses
@madmax2crazy (1569)
• United States
20 May 09
In no US states is it illegal to drive barefoot.
This is verified by American Automobile Association, www.barefooters.org, & also www.pedolgroup.com.
This question was also on several of those myth-busting shows. Once again it has been verified.
It is actually recommended to drive barefoot if you are wearing flip flops, backless shoes, high heels, or any shoes that your foot can slip out of our impair your driving.
4 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
i remember when i was younger living in florida some one said that they were given a ticket for it or something.. weird.. glad its not illegal then.. wonder why that person told me otherwise??
1 person likes this
@Bradpete (822)
• Philippines
20 May 09
Some good driver said when you started to drive or a student driving you must do barefooted first. To feel it properly the pedals. Then, when you master it put on your shoes on. Bare footed is a illegal cos not following dress code in driving.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
weird i have never heard that.. but then again i never went to drivers school or anything.. just learned on my own and with parents etc
1 person likes this
@Uroborus (908)
• Canada
21 May 09
There does seem to be this idea out there that driving barefoot is illegal, but that isn't the case, either in the US, or in Canada (where I live). In fact it seems that driving barefoot is allowed just about anywhere. Although I did find a reference that said in Germany, while driving barefoot isn't expressly forbidden, the insure companies can deny payment, if it is determined that you caused an accident while driving barefoot.
I think the myth that driving barefoot is illegal probably got started when people try it and observe that it feels awkward, and you can't seem to press down on the brake very hard if you had to suddenly stop. I have tried driving barefoot for a bit and I did notice that even hitting the brakes lightly hurts your feet, since the brake peddle is hard.
You also make a good point about driving in high heels though, not that I tend to wear them much as a guy, but yes, I can imagine that there might be some difficulty with that as well.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
23 May 09
i wish i was still in touch with that guy that i know that got a ticket for it so he could get the cop in trouble then
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
20 May 09
As far as i know here in Saskatchewan it isnt illegal to drive barefoot. I think in certain situations its not a great idea - like in the winter but its better to go barefoot or sockfoot than it is to wear heals or flipflops while you drive.
I tend to drive barefoot alot of the time in the summer with my sandals in easy foot reach.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
according to reply 1 i am wrong.. but i know some one that claimed he got a ticket so i dunno.. maybe it was an isolated thing
1 person likes this
@prinzcy (32305)
• Malaysia
20 May 09
I am not so sure myself why it's illegal to drive barefoot. As the matter of fact, I prefer to drive barefoot. I used to wear slippers when driving and that was dangerous. The strap slid at the pedal and I nearly lost control of the car. Since then I toss my shoes under the co-driver seat and will wear them again once I arrived. I feel the pedal more that way too.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
i guess its not illegal.. the first person that replied found that it was a myth.. but i remember when i lived in florida some one told me that they got busted for it so i dunno
1 person likes this
@Mitchell12783 (40)
• United States
20 May 09
Wait a sec its illegal to drive bare foot? (In all states?)I always do that. Oops maybe i won't now..
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
23 May 09
maybe it isnt.. im wondering it if was a fluke since there are some sites that other people have replied with that say its not.. im wondering if a cop just was wanting to be a jerk to some one and made it up or something.
@riyasam (16556)
• India
20 May 09
i think this is one of the myths.or maybe this is some law applicable in certain states.It is actually recommended to drive barefoot if you are wearing flip flops, backless shoes, high heels, or any shoes that your foot can slip out of our impair your driving.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
i wonder why the person i knew got busted for it.. maybe the cop was being a jerk or something.. but yeah if your wearing those kind of shoes it would prob be best to be barefoot
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
i never heard that about clogs.. well apparently some sites are saying its a myth but knowing some one that got busted for it i dunno what to think
@aidenw (632)
• United States
20 May 09
as the first poster said,it's not illegal to drive barefoot anywhere in the US and other countries we know of.i'm also a member of barefooters.org because i enjoy going barefoot and naturally i always drive barefoot.not sure how the myth got perpetuated but that's what it is,a myth.just like many people believe there's government law that says it's illegal to go barefoot in stores or restaurants etc.which is not true either.
not sure what exactly happened with the person you know who supposedly got busted for driving barefoot,but sometimes even cops are clueless when it comes to something like that.i remember one of the members told a story of how he got stopped by a cop while driving barefoot and was about to get a ticket but he managed to convince the cop that there's no law that says it's illegal to drive barefoot,so he let him go.yet other members had experiences being pulled over for various reasons while driving barefoot and the cops never mentioned anything about them being barefoot.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
23 May 09
seems like he had a tail light out or something silly (not speeding) after leaving the beach and the cop noticed and said something about it and gave him a ticket..
yeah cops sometimes are stupid when it comes to their jobs
@pheonixstar1982 (2307)
• United States
20 May 09
I was once told that its because your bare foot would slip easier. Truth be told i drive bare foot all the time in the summer. If i am wearing flip flops or a shoe with to much of a heel, i will drive with the flip flop or shoe off. With flip flops or my heeled boots i cant feel the petal. It might be illegal, but i would rather be able to feel the petal and stuff the worried about the possibility that i might get pulled over and for some freak reason they look at my feet.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 May 09
yeah its not like they are doing shoe checks anyways so they had to have a reason to pull you over anyways
@flutterbykisses (593)
• United States
20 May 09
Hi Moon...and I don't know for the lie of me how they figure it is safe to drive with heels on...lol
As far as bare feet are concerned the only thing I can figure is they are afraid your foot may slip off the pedal if they would happen to be wet or you may get stung if their would happen to be a bee on the pedal...lol.
I drive in my bare feet all the time. So if I ever get stopped I will be sure to get a ticket, but i don't like wearing schools and I feel more comfortable in my bare feet.
flutterby
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
23 May 09
im wondering it if was a fluke since there are some sites that other people have replied with that say its not.. im wondering if a cop just was wanting to be a jerk to some one and made it up or something.