Suitable footwear for Driving
Suitable footwear for Driving
Wearing appropriate footwear while driving is essential for maintaining full control over your vehicle. The right footwear improves pedal feel, enhance safety and shows legal compliance.
What to wear
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- Flat shoes with a thin, firm sole, (no thicker than 10 mm).
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- Secure fitting shoes that won’t slip off.
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- Flexible footwear, that’s allows ankle movement.
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- Driving, shoes/trainers designed for grip and comfort.
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- Shoes with good sole grip (not overly smooth).
What not to wear
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- Flip-flops or sandals – easy to slip off or get caught under pedals.
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- High heels or wedges – affect pedal control, and balance.
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- Barefoot – reduces breaking power and grip.
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- Heavy boots (e.g. steel-toe caps) – reduce pedal, sensitivity.
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- Loose-fitting shoes – can get stuck or slip off.
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- Slippers off a little to no grip or support.
Legal consequences
There is no specific law banning certain footwear, but you must be in proper control of your vehicle at all times (Rule 97 of the Highway Code) inappropriate footwear that may result in:
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- Fines up to £5000.
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- 3-9 Penalty points on your licence.
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- Disqualification in serious cases.
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- Increased insurance premiums.
Tips
- Increased insurance premiums.
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- Keep a spare pair of Driving shoes in your car if needed.
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- Before Driving always check your footwear for grip, fit and flexibility.
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- Ask yourself: ‘can I safely and confidently control the pedals?’.
