You'll find more information about Staying safe in our advice centre here, however, this article would be more applicable to learner drivers in our opinion.

Wearing proper shoes for driving play a BIG part in driving safety, for those of you that will stumble upon this, i'm sure you will feel the difference between sandals and wearing timberland worker boots. Some people drive drive with timberland boots, high heels or sandals or no shoes at all.

If you use footwear not suitable for driving, it may lead to a road traffic collision on the road. The choice of footwear for driving must allow the foot to feel the pressure needed by the pedals to achieve the desired braking or acceleration. Shoes with soles of over 10 centimetres or clogs with hard heels are unsuitable for driving due to the extremely hard bottoms of these types of footwear that obstruct the feeling required by the feet to operate the pedals properly.
Both accelerator and brake pedals are worked with the heel on the floor. Wearing high-heeled shoes will be a problem since the heel is elevated and the operation of the pedals is hampered because of this.

In the other end of the spectrum, driving barefoot - although providing themaximum feel of the pedals - might result in injury on the feet.

In cases of traffic accidents with nothing to protect the feet, one might tread on broken glass and sustain major injuries. Slight pain in the foot might hinder stepping hard on the brakes in case of emergency.

So what's the best footwear to use while driving?

But there is no need to buy another pair; you may already have one that will do just fine. Here are some features you can look for in the shoes you already have to check if they will do:

1.    The sole of the shoe is very important in determining what type of footwear to use. The sole should neither be too thick or too thin. It should not be too soft or too flexible and it should have enough grip on the pedal to avoid slipping.
2.    It should be lightweight to enable easy movement.
3.    It should not hinder ankle movement in working various pedals.
4.    It should not be unnecessarily wide as to cause stepping on two pedals at the same time.

For these considerations, your basic trainer shoes ( not the thick soled type) or plain flat shoes is best suited for driving. Not only do these provide enough feeling on the feet, these are also hard and thick enough to help you give the exact pressure needed for braking and acceleration. Most importantly, these types of shoes are comfortable enough for long driving.

To avoid near misses caused by driving with the wrong shoes, it is recommended that plain shoes or light trainers be used while driving. Ladies who like to wear the high heels or platform shoes could change into these before going out of the vehicle.

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