# Barefoot Driving **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675 "2003-07-11T08:11:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Beech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beech)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/1 "2003-07-11T08:11:36Z")
So… We have been enjoying some brilliant hot weather recently here in the UK, (message to the colonies - it doesn’t rain all the time - come on over & enjoy!!!🆒)& after a hot drudge all day at the office, there is nothing nicer than to slip the shoes off and let the air con take care of the aching feet! - But is it legal? Can you do it here, can you do it in the States? Does anybody else do it or am I just weird? Waddya all think? ---
**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/2 "2003-07-11T08:15:35Z")
I checked it out as far as California is concerned. It is perfectly legal to drive barefoot as long as all other rules and regs are followed about driving safely… ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/3 "2003-07-11T08:17:54Z")
Well, I went to my last driving lesson wearing sandals. I commented to my instructor that maybe I wasn’t wearing appropriate footwear. His response, “Once you’ve passed your test, you can wear whatever you want on your feet to drive”. So, presumably _not_ wearing shoes is also allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/4 "2003-07-11T08:26:23Z")
You can do it in Florida… however, I have large feet but I find I have to use too much muscular pressure to comfortably use the pedals for long distances without the weight of a shoe. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/5 "2003-07-11T09:19:22Z")
[Apparently the American Automobile Association actually researched this.](http://www.urbanlegends.com/legal/driving.barefoot/driving_barefoot.html) > [@](#): > > Alabama: > Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted. Exception: motorcycle rider. > > Ohio: > Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted but not recommended. > > California: > Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is **not** prohibited. > > Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming: > Barefoot Driving: Operation of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permitted. Yet a letter from the California Dept. of Motor Vehicles, on that same page, says that there is no prohibition on driving barefoot in that state. _Caveat:_ This research was done in 1994. State laws may have changed since then. Now, about driving naked . . . ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/6 "2003-07-11T09:57:12Z")
The UK highway code states that your footwear and clothing (and presumably also any lack of it) must not interfere with your ability to operate the vehicle’s controls. Could you perform an emergency stop procedure with bare feet? I suspect that for most people, driving with bare feet is an impediment. ---
**Author:** ![MattTheCroc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MattTheCroc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattTheCroc)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/7 "2003-07-11T10:02:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Yet a letter from the California Dept. of Motor Vehicles, on that same page, says that there is no prohibition on driving barefoot in that state. The excerpt you quote also says it’s not prohibited… I got it confused on the first read since the bolded “not” implies that the sentence will be a contradiction of the first two, but it’s not. It’s a bit of a poor phrasing, though, to suddenly switch from saying something _is_ permitted to saying it _isn’t_ prohibited. There’s a slight semantic difference, sure, but the basic meaning is the same. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/8 "2003-07-11T11:46:31Z")
I often drive barefoot in the summer and I see no way in which my driving or ability to carry out emergency procedures is compromised. If anything, my feel for where my feet are is better and, while the effect is doubtless tiny, I could move from gas to break pedal more quickly unencumbered by footwear. In the winter I wear boots and driving with boots feels cumbersome. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/9 "2003-07-11T12:44:14Z")
I’ve observed a number of women of my acquaintance driving in stockings. When playing racing games on my computer, I often take off my shoes (I have very big feet - size 13+). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/10 "2003-07-11T13:14:00Z")
I should have opened the thread before I went looking for the same link that **Walloon** posted. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/11 "2003-07-11T13:21:57Z")
When I took driving classes in 1994 in Massachusetts, the instructor said driving barefoot is illegal. I took his word for it, but he could have been wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/12 "2003-07-11T13:34:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hari Seldon \* > **I often drive barefoot in the summer and I see no way in which my driving or ability to carry out emergency procedures is compromised.** Most cars in the UK have manual transmission, and in most cases the pedals for clutch and brake are quite stiff and narrower than the average human foot, making it potentially quit uncomfortable to apply great or sudden force to them. This effect is likely to vary from person to person and vehicle to vehicle, but certainly on the one or two occasions I’ve tried driving without shoes (moving the car while at the beach etc), I found it very uncomfortable. I remember finding that I actually couldn’t apply the desired force to the brake and clutch pedals without really hurting my feet. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/13 "2003-07-11T13:45:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*Most cars in the UK have manual transmission, and in most cases the pedals for clutch and brake are quite stiff and narrower than the average human foot, making it potentially quit uncomfortable to apply great or sudden force to them. > This effect is likely to vary from person to person and vehicle to vehicle, but certainly on the one or two occasions I’ve tried driving without shoes (moving the car while at the beach etc), I found it very uncomfortable. I remember finding that I actually couldn’t apply the desired force to the brake and clutch pedals without really hurting my feet. YMMV \*\* We’re delving into the realm of opinions here, but I spend most summers driving a manual car with bare feet. I find it easier to judge the interplay between clutch and throttle without a thick-soled pair of shoes between me and the pedals. For that matter, I can’t imagine too many women driving cars in their high-heeled shoes. Carrying a flat-soled pair of shoes in the car is a possibility, but it seems most of them drive in their stockings or bare feet instead. ---
**Author:** ![Tannim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Tannim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tannim)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/14 "2003-07-11T13:59:28Z")
I have heard many times that driving barefoot is illegal but I have never had anyone who told me that be able to back it up. I would much rather drive barefoot than with flipflops because I feel there is less chance of the shoe becomming wedged in the pedals. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/15 "2003-07-11T15:01:01Z")
Pretty much everybody does it here. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/16 "2003-07-11T15:09:32Z")
You can in Maryland except in Ocean City. At least it used to be that way and they had signs up. I’m not 100% any more that you need to have shoes on though as I don’t go to OC that much and drive with shoes anyway. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/17 "2003-07-11T20:25:17Z")
I drive barefoot when driving long distances. Btw, the OP confuses me… it seems to imply that hot weather is somehow good and that going there during it would be to somehow “enjoy” something? When my husband and I went to the UK 2 years ago for our 10th anniversary, it was hot. IT SUCKED! We were so annoyed. First off, hot weather is just a bad thing in and of itself. Second, nothing there is air conditioned! We were hoping for the cool, rainy days that are so stereotypical. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![sarcophilus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@sarcophilus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sarcophilus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/18 "2003-07-11T20:44:36Z")
I had this discussion with a friend years ago here in Australia. When we called the cops to clear it up, they said it is legal to drive barefoot but not in loose sandles or thong- type footwear. Sensible, thought I. ---
**Author:** ![DaToad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@DaToad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaToad)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/19 "2003-07-11T20:58:47Z")
It’s legal in Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675/20 "2003-07-11T21:14:51Z")
I’ve asked this very question before. Lots of info in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81276) thread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barefoot-driving/187675.md?page=2)