Is Driving Barefoot Illegal?

People do all sorts of things when they drive. Women put on makeup and even pluck their eyebrows. Guys use electric razors to shave. More than once I’ve seen people reading — reading! And we’re all probably guilty of talking or texting on our cellphones. And who hasn’t eaten a burger with one hand while the other is on the wheel?

Yet, it’s what you can’t see that should scare the bejesus out you. While you’ve likely seen people in a car’s passenger seat with their bare feet on the dashboard or dangling out the window, many people, it seems, drive without any shoes. You would think driving while barefoot would be illegal because it seems so dangerous.

Well, it’s not. In fact, no state has a law barring people from driving without shoes. In fact, there is an entire web site devoted to this driving fetish. The activists at Barefootislegal.org, say it is safer to drive with your bare dogs than wearing flipflops and other footwear.

“It is advised to put clogs, high heels, sandals and other slippery shoes not only off your foot — but put them on the floor in another seat so they do not fall under the gas or brake pedals,” the authors of the web site say. “MANY accidents are caused by wearing flip flops — where driving barefoot would have saved an accident — and possibly their life.”

Who knew? As we dug deeper, we learned that clogs and flipflops can cause accidents. And even though it seems to be perfectly legal, police departments across the U.S. seem to frown on anyone driving barefoot. For one thing, the discarded shoes can get caught under the car’s pedals, making it difficult to accelerate, slow down and stop. However, if you get into an accident and you’re barefoot, the police might cite you for reckless driving if they determine that your bare puppies contributed to the accident.

Print |
Citation & Date |
Reprint