Safe footwear for driving

Going for a Drive? Mind Your Feet!

Before turning the ignition of your car and driving around town, there are a few steps you should take. Ensure you have your license, registration and proof of insurance should something wrong happen? Of course. Put on sunglasses to protect your eyes and reduce the chances of a vision-impaired crash? Definitely. Check that everybody in the car, including you, is wearing a seatbelt? Yep! However, there’s something most people should, but don’t, pay attention to: their feet.

Let’s face it—there are some bad drivers out there. Sometimes, you have to brake suddenly to avoid an accident because somebody else isn’t paying proper attention. This has everything to do with your right foot—you know, the one you use to press on the brake. You should know that your choice of footwear may mean the difference between a smooth drive home and a terrible accident.

Certain types of footwear inhibit your ability to brake suddenly. The heels of high-heeled shoes have a tendency to get stuck under the accelerator, making it difficult to move the foot to the brake pedal. Flip flops and non-supportive sandals may slip off and get stuck under the brake pedal, meaning that eventually, you will hit something. And going barefoot on the way back from the lake or river means you have no traction underneath your foot; it’s possible your foot will slip off of the brake pedal when you’re trying to apply pressure.

Whenever driving, we strongly recommend wearing flat, closed-toed shoes that are snug on your feet. There are some situations when you may not wear them with your outfit, and that’s fine—just keep a pair of driving shoes in the trunk of your car for reasons like this! You can pick up a pair for a few dollars at your local department store, and you’ll barely wear them out if you don’t walk in them.

Legally, you can wear whatever shoes you want when you drive. But why risk a car accident when you can decrease the odds so significantly with such little effort?

Call Cloverleaf Insurance 1-800-530-5822 for your low cost car insurance.